The Only One
by TacoTuesday137
Summary: When the young heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is threatened, she finds her life getting harder. They say to turn to your friends in one's time of need, but throughout it all, only one man will comfort her. The one who gets paid. In the end, it isn't the terrorists that break her, but her heart. (Formally 'Protection')
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello! First things first, the normal stuff.**

 **This story contains characters and ideas not owned or created by myself. All Characters and Ideas from RWBY belong to Rooster Teeth.**

Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

 **Next thing next: my introduction.**

 **This is my first story. Not literally, but in reference to my writing career overall. It's a remake. This was the first story that I published to this site under a different username several years ago. I never finished it, but the story received fantastic ratings and reviews. I believe it had a 90% approval rate, and only one bad review (in which, a person got upset that I, on a fan-fiction site, shipped two characters). Well, I got a girlfriend at some point, and pretty much abandoned all my stories on here. Since then, several girlfriends have come and gone, and I entered the ripe old age of college. Oh, how nice it is to live on my own!**

 **Just kidding, I'm so lonely at home. That brings me to here! With so much more time on my hands, and not spending every waking moment with my girlfriend, I had some time to write. I logged into this website, and what do you know, all my stories were still receiving some praise. Sure, it dropped because it hadn't been updated in 2 YEARS, but you know, people still thought it was good.**

 **Well now I'm a college kid, and my standards for writing have sky rocketed since the original publication of this story. I couldn't support the crap I wrote all those years ago! Sure, the plot was fine, but the grammar, spelling, and just the proof reading was so bad, that I considered burning the flash drive the file was on. Well, I rewrote it, because I'm clearly awesome.**

 **Now, because I wrote this some time ago, it began shortly after the end of Volume 1. I will not change it to fit the current story line, not just because it wouldn't make sense anymore, but because there's no fun in that. I liked the show before it was cool. I've made some changes and references to information that came from the later volumes, but the story line forks shortly after the end of Volume 1. Sorry folks.**

 **Without further delay, here is the reproduction of** ** _Protection_** **s.**

 **Further Delay**

* * *

 **Prologue**

There are a few things that everyone remembers from high school. Their social standing, the school bully, the popular girls, what kind of student they were, and of course, their first love.

These memories were no different for a certain white haired heiress with a snotty attitude.

Weiss Schnee was the most popular girl in school, but not flashy. She kept to herself, quietly studying and working for her future. She was popular because of her beauty and power. The vast majority of the student body spent eons attempting to befriend her for hopes of both radiating onto themselves. Instead of friends, she focused on grades and learning. Her father was ruthless, and if anything less than an A came across his desk, she lost all the privileges that came with the family fortune. That was her social standing and what kind of student she was.

Her first love was not a man worth remembering, but she did. He was sweet and nice, but never stood out in the crowd. Not her crowds, at least.

She fell in love with him, not because she was overwhelmed with desire, but because he cared for her so much. But he was boring. Not long after deciding she loved him, she broke it off for lack of excitement. Her father was angered that his daughter couldn't be happy with a nice boy that had business sense and treated her well.

To understand Weiss' future, you must know her past. The past of a good student and a girl without excitement. A girl who did everything to impress one man. She didn't feel the need to impress teenage boys when her own father wasn't impressed with her. Life for her was putting up an unappealing front to keep people away, so she could focus on the important things in life.

On the other end of our story, we have Jeffery Ryker. Once a soldier, now a beggar. Now in his early 30's, Jeff was forced into seclusion by the government he trusted so much. He fell so far, and lost so much, and he earned nothing but pain for doing his job. After such a loss, he couldn't forget, but he couldn't remember.

Once a soldier, always a soldier. No one would hire him because he was viewed as a liability. His PTSD made employers uneasy and he was denied for reasons of "customer and employee safety."

We spend our time trying to change ourselves and rewrite our history, thinking that it will make us a better person, but the truth is; it can't. Nothing we do now can change our past, and make up for the things that we've done. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and not repeat those mistakes that created the world where they are the only thing worth remembering.

This story will follow the changes of these two loners. It will follow how they try and change their future. It will follow how they find happiness with each other. Not in, just with. They do not cross stars, or gaze deeply into each other's eyes. But because of each other, they will be happy, throughout the tragedy that pursues them.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Sunlight began to peak in the room. The early rise of the sun broke through the downward slope of the plastic blinds, causing slivers of light to cut across the floor. Birds began to chirp just outside the window, ensuring the coming day. The alarm clock suddenly erupted in its incessant tone, filling the small room with a horrendous noise. Jeffery Ryker's eyes burst open, bloodshot and dry from the lack of sleep. They searched the room for the source of the noise, and settled on the small clock flashing the time at him. He reached out for the bedside table and gently placed his hands on the small devise to shut the sound off. After failing to find the off switch, Jeff wrapped his fingers around the clock and chucked it to the far side of the room. It shattered upon striking the wall.

He rolled from his bed and hit the floor. After sitting up, he leaned his head against the mattress. His calloused fingers touched his forehead and he drug his hands down his face, prying his tired eyes open.

He looked over at the table that used to hold an alarm clock and grabbed for his scroll. He slid it open and started flipping through the messages that put him in a sour mood.

 _Declined, Declined, Declined, Repossessed, Declined, Bank Notice._

After retiring from the military for a simple life, Jeff was single, unemployed, and soon-to-be homeless. The government's small sum of compensation for his PTSD did little to help him survive in the unforgiving civilian life. After all the promises they made him, they stood him up and tried him for treason.

 _Guess I better go deal with the bank today._ He stood with his blanked wrapped around his shoulders, shuffling towards the showers. On his way, he stooped to grab a bowl, some cereal, and some television. The news reported nonsense along the lines of "Underdog Terrorist cell steal from a rich man whose loss is nothing more than pocket change," so Jeff changed the channel.

After finishing his meal, he made his way to the shower and stripped down to wash off. As the water ran from his short hair, he contemplated his argument. ' _I'm a vet. I watched my friends die so you wouldn't have to give up your cushy job. I'm sure that you can forgive a small overdraft fee or two.'_

He doubted that success was in his future, but it was worth a shot. _Today is going to be fucking fantastic._

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

Weiss sat alone in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to enter the room and begin the lesson. That's all she wanted, but she knew that very soon two more people would enter the room and ruin the serenity. She took a deep breath and sighed at the distraction approaching. The young heiress ran her pale hands through her white hair.

Her eyes opened at the sound of feet shuffling into the room, and opened her eyes to find the rest of them not yet entering. _I have a few more moments of peace, at least._

It's not that she disliked her team, but they annoyed her. They were loud, didn't sleep, and they were immature. About the only thing they didn't do was destroy her homework, and they had come dangerously close a time or two.

Finally, Ruby and Yang entered the room, followed but the quietest member of the team, Blake. The small group made their way over to Weiss with booming voices and loud footsteps. When Ruby's shouting finally registered as English instead of white noise, Weiss realized the small girl was talking to her. "Weiss!" Ruby shouted over and over.

Weiss sighed and gave up ignoring the pounding voice in her ear. "Yes, Ruby?"

Ruby frantically started to tell a story of some kind, rambling until Weiss lost interest. Weiss, however, didn't look away. Not only was it rude to do, but there was something about Ruby that made her easy to look at. At least when she wasn't frustrating Weiss. When Weiss decided to tune back into the conversation, the easiness ended. "…and they were talking about your father!" Ruby finished.

Weiss hated people talking about her father. The man paid little attention to Weiss despite everything Weiss had done to make him happy. She didn't even care to hear who was talking about him. But Ruby continued anyway.

"And then they played a video about you!" Ruby hastily added. This attracted Weiss' attention. She would have to kill somebody. She hated people talking about her father, but when they talked about her? The heavens would rain fire and ice down upon them.

Despite the scowl growing on Weiss' face, Ruby ignorantly continued her story. She pulled her scroll out and tapped at it until a video of a well-dressed woman sitting at a counter appeared.

The video showed the Vale news reporter. A large triangle sat in the middle of the screen until Ruby tapped it away. The voice started and Weiss noticed the Schnee Dust Company logo in the image corner of the news screen.

" _Shortly after the hijacking of the Schnee Dust Company's latest shipment, the infamous 'White Fang' released a video. Our producers have allowed us to share an edited version for the public awareness."_ In the corner, the image changed and expanded across the screen. " _Good afternoon, Mr. Schnee,"_ a rough voice began. _"I believe you have been ignoring us for far too long, so now, we'll make it very hard to do. Listen carefully, Mr. Schnee. Since you didn't care about the last hostage, we'll assume you won't miss him."_ A man was dragged into the middle of the camera. He began to beg, but the White Fang member drew his gun and pointed it at the man's head. The video skipped ahead and the man was missing, but the smoke swirled up from the gun. " _So now that we've stolen your product and killed a board member, it's getting pretty tiring to be ignored._ " The man held up several pictures. All of them showed Weiss. Some of them were her alone, and some of them were of her team. " _We're taking your daughter next._ " A sly smile grew across his face and Weiss felt chills creep up her spine.

The video closed and the reporter continued about who was shown in the video, but Weiss sat there, stunned. _Could they really be watching me?_ For once in her life, she was scared.

She couldn't share that, of course. She wasn't going to let anyone think she was weak. She decided to do the only reasonable thing. She laughed.

Ruby gave Weiss a weird look. Her face contorted with confusion as Weiss brushed the threat off her shoulder. "Ruby, they make threats all the time. It's nothing."

Ruby threw her arms around and started to shout, disturbing the other kids in the room. "But they have pictures, Weiss! Pictures of us! They are gonna' come steal you and then who will be my partner?" Weiss scowled at the remark and watched as Ruby contemplated what she just said. "I mean, my friend."

"Ruby, we live in a school full of people carrying weapons, on a mountain only accessible by airship, and taught by teachers who are all expert hunters. I don't think they're stupid enough to come after me." Weiss smiled. She decided she had won. Hopefully Ruby would let this go.

"I don't know," came a usually silent voice. Blake looked worried, and Weiss knew that if the ex-White Fang member was worried, Ruby would go hysteric. Weiss bowed her head and placed it in her palm. _Great_. "The White Fang has always been pretty committed to their threats."

"Guys, this is no big deal!" Weiss shouted. "They've done this for years now. Nothing is going to happen." But Weiss didn't believe that. She needed them to think that she did so they wouldn't be worried. Weiss couldn't trust that no one would try and hurt her. The part that scared her the most?

It wasn't being kidnapped, it was that if she failed in fending them off, her father would be disappointed and might not pay a ransom.

The door finally creaked open and in stepped an old, decrepit man. RWBY sat down next to Weiss and started their usual yammering about nothing that mattered. But today, Weiss didn't mind. She liked that they at least cared about her, even if she didn't want them too. A smile crept across her face as she thought about her friends. Maybe RWBY wasn't that bad.

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Jeff walked into the bank and glanced around. A few people were waiting in line, filling out slips of paper, and discussing their accounts. He walked over to the counter to meet the woman he had an appointment with. He stepped up and smiled as she turned around, her hair flipping around and covering her face for a second before wavering back into place. Her smile gleamed back as she began to talk. "Hey Jeffery! How have you been?"

His smile faded. "Not good, Michelle," he bowed his head as he spoke. "That's why I'm here. I've got overdraft fees, but I can't get a job to pay the fees, let alone survive." He shook his head. He looked up, startled, when she put her hands on his.

"It'll be okay, Jeff. I'm sure we can get this worked out. It is a small bank, maybe we can give you a veteran's loan?" She smiled softly at him. "You don't deserve this. You did what you were asked to do and now you can't earn a living."

"Thank you, Michelle. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"What are old friends for?" _Yeah, friends._ Jeff tried so hard to impress her. He wanted nothing more than to take her on a date and treat her like the princess she was, but he couldn't. He had no job, no money, and barely the balls to ask. She was so good at caring for him, being there, and he couldn't even buy her dinner. _Or can I?_

"Hey, Michelle? I know I don't have a lot, but do you think I could…" He was cut off by the sound of breaking glass and swinging doors. He turned to see several men covered in white and sporting the White Fang insignia. They screamed for everyone to get down and swung their guns around and around. Jeff ignored them and turned back around. "Michelle…"

"Hey, you! Yeah, tall blonde and stupid. Did you hear me? GET. DOWN. Do I have to tell you again?"

Jeff began to grind his teeth together. "Can't you see I'm trying to have a conversation, here? Were you raised in a barn?" Jeff didn't face him, but he heard the heavy footsteps approach. "Jeffery, please just get down. I don't want them to hurt you," Michelle whispered.

The man shoved Jeffery aside and grabbed Michelle. "Oh, I won't hurt him." He turned towards Jeff. "How about I hurt your pretty little girlfriend here?"

Jeff cracked a grin. "You don't want to do that. Threaten me all you like, but if you set a single hair out of place, you won't walk out of here."

"Jeffery, for the love of god, just do what he says!" Michelle screamed.

The man turned his gun to Jeff and began to speak. Jeff sighed and grand the man's wrist. Before the man could react, Jeff had the hand at his side, and twisted. He could feel, as well as hear, the bone snap. The man let out a loud wail and the gun fell free. Jeff snatched it up and flipped the barrel to set on the man's chest. He squeezed the trigger and watched the body go limp.

Michelle scrambled away and Jeff turned to one of the other men. Jeff pulled on the trigger several times as the man's body began to ragdoll. Two more White Fang dashed at him. He felt a body slam into him, forcing the gun from his hand. He shifted his weight and tossed the person over his own body. Jeff looked around and dove for the gun. He swiped it off the floor and rolled over to face the fourth attacker. He pulled the trigger until it began to click.

He rolled onto his knees and looked around for the person he tossed. The last attacker jumped at him. He shifted and let the attacker pass him. Jeff stood and sprinted for the man, tackling him into a counter. Jeff heard several snaps as the man groaned and collapsed onto the ground. Jeff grabbed his wrists and looked up at the counter.

He grabbed the pen and chain and snapped it free. He wrapped the chain around the man's wrists and slipped the pen in between a loop to keep it tight. Jeff looked up and around, smiling at Michelle. After a second, Jeff realized that she looked terrified of him. He looked around the room at the four men he had just killed without hesitation. He looked back at Michelle with tears in his eyes and shock on his face.

He barely felt the Taser strike him in the side. His legs collapsed and he hit the ground. _Fuck,_ he thought as he lost consciousness.

…

Jeff slammed his fist against the wall of his cell as he dropped into the corner. He buried his head in his knees and let his eyes tear up. _I can't ever face her again. She's seen the side of me I never wanted to bring home. I wanted rid of that part of me, and he showed up in front of the only person to care about me since the trial._ Jeff was so absorbed in his grief that he didn't notice the cell door open.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and his head jumped up, hoping to see the woman he desired. He was disappointed when he didn't see her, but instead one of the men at the bank. Through blurred vision, he made out a strong face and thick white mustache. The face seamed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on the name. The man reached out and offered his hand. When Jeff saw the underside of his wrist, he understood. Tattooed on there, was a snow flake.

Jacques Schnee, the richest man in Atlas. Jeff allowed Mr. Schnee to help him up. When Jeff stood, he received a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Ryker. I never got the chance to thank you." As he smiled, he noticed the strain on Jeff's eyes. "Are you okay, Mr. Ryker."

Jeff shook his head. "I screwed up back there, not that you would care."

"Mr. Ryker, I know that I may come off as a rich, heartless man, but I assure you I care. In fact, you'll be happy to know that because you saved me, you no longer have a debt. After you left, I talked to the girl you were speaking with, and as shocked as she was, she was helpful in allowing me access to your accounts. I removed all the debt from your shoulders. I also have one more thing for you, sir." Mr. Schnee pulled a large paper packet from his coat.

Jeff's hands wrapped around the thick yellow folder and Jeff looked up at Jacques Schnee, confused. Mr. Schnee noticed and smiled as Jeff began to read the information. "You are a man of great skill and swift, decisive action, Mr. Ryker. No one of your skill should be begging for money."

"Is this…" Jeff started, as Mr. Schnee excitedly continued for him. "An employee contract. I'm offering you a job, Mr. Ryker."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I'm sure you loved it. I'm just so good at writing. Hell, I'm sexy too.**

 **But seriously, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don't be afraid to leave me a comment! I love constructive criticism! But it better be constructive. Merely stating that you hate my story or hate me is not worth either of our time.**

 **I will not play chess with pigeons, so if you have a problem, back it up with references and reasoning.**

 **Have a good day, night, or whatever**

 **Taco**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So, I started these chapters at the beginning of my fall break. I traveled to my great grandparent's house, where internet isn't a thing that exists. I went ahead and just wrote every night. It's not like I could browse for cat pictures, so what else was I supposed to do? Play Fallout? I mean, yeah, I put in an extra 4 hours a day, but I can only do that for so long. So, here's another shot at this story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _Jeffery Ryker_

"I don't know about this," Jeff sighed. He rolled up the sleeve on his new dress shirt and looked across the table at Mr. Schnee. "I was trying to get away from my life in the military."

Mr. Schnee chuckled. "I'm not asking you to be a soldier, Mr. Ryker. I'm asking you to be a teacher at a school in Vale." Mr. Schnee slowly sipped from his coffee.

"I'm not stupid, Sir. I read the contract. You want me to fend off terrorists. You're paying me with the expectation that I will kill people, and I don't think I want to do that anymore." Jeff removed a flask from his coat pocket hanging off the chair. After unscrewing the cap, he poured a generous amount of amber liquid into his cup.

"While that's true, most of your job will be teaching the students about fighting people instead of monsters. You see, Mr. Ryker, people are more dangerous than Grim. We know what drives a Grim's motives, but we don't know what drives the motives of a person. You've spent your whole life fighting them, Mr. Ryker, and I can see no one better suited to teach my daughter and her friends about those dangers." Mr. Schnee placed his cup on the table and slid the contract across.

"I'm paying you to help my daughter, but with this power, you could potentially save a whole generation of Hunters. You'd teach them more than just how to fight a monster, you'd teach them how to fight the greatest monsters of all."

Jeff sipped from his cup. "Who says I even want to help these kids?" He flipped through the contract as he looked up at Mr. Schnee.

"You fought for an ideal for years, Mr. Ryker. You've been given the opportunity to fight for people. If you aren't going to do it for the idealism, do it to save those students." Jeff looked down thoughtfully. Mr. Schnee held out a pen and smiled. Jeff slowly grabbed for the pen and set the tip down on the paper.

He looked up at Mr. Schnee. "Do I have a budget?"

The smile faded from Mr. Schnee's face. "A budget?

"The price on this contract. Will I be given more money to cover the expenses of keeping your daughter safe, or am I using my own money to protect her?"

Mr. Schnee looked at him, considering the option. "What will you require?"

"For starters, an arsenal. I'm teaching these kids how to fight, so I'm gonna' need to train them how to fight everything. I'll need a safe house in case things at the school go south and I have to move her. I'll need a car to get to that safe house."

"Well, you won't need a car. It's a school in the mountains. And before you ask, I can't buy you an airship."

"So what about the other two things?" Jeff leaned back, setting the pen down on the table. He picked up his cup and took a swig from it.

Mr. Schnee shrugged. "Bill me. I'll reimburse you for expenses that involve my daughter."

Jeff nodded and picked up the pen again. "Okay, sir. You have yourself a deal. I'll become a teacher at Beacon."

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

The teacher was late. Weiss looked at her scroll, sitting opened on her desk. The class was scheduled to start at eleven am, but it was now eight minutes past, and no sign of the decrepit old man that was their 'Modern Combat' teacher.

She always found irony in the age of the teacher and the name of the class. Sure, Weiss thought he was a wise old man, but all he could teach anymore was theory, no practice. He would sometimes duel the students, but the focus on the class wasn't on fighting other Hunters with rules, it was supposed to be about fighting dangerous people who wouldn't play by the rules.

Like Roman Torchwick.

With the frequency of his appearance increasing, Weiss believed they would need this class more and more. Yet, they couldn't get much out of the immobile teacher. Weiss didn't even know his preferred weapon or semblance.

"When can we leave, Weiss?" Ruby moaned beside her. Of course, the two more rowdy members of Team RWBY were anxiously hoping to burst out the door. Yang hung her arms over the desk and moaned at the passage of time. Ruby, as an emphasis for her boredom, leaned onto Weiss' shoulder.

Normally, people touching her would send her into a fit, but somehow, Ruby wasn't so bad. Weiss sighed and gently shoved Ruby off her shoulder. "The school handbook says fifteen minutes. You've got five. You'll survive."

Weiss looked down at her scroll, wondering at the status of the old man. While she didn't think he was a good teacher, she didn't want him to be hurt. She began to count down to their release, now just wanting out of the chair. She would go study old war theory books to make up for the lack of class time.

 _Two minutes_ , she thought. Ruby and Yang gathered their things, and Blake visually began to finish the section in her novel, eyes speeding through the lines. One more minute passed and Ruby jumped up. "Okay! He's not coming. Let's go!"

Weiss sighed. "I'm not letting you have coffee in the morning, anymore."

Just as the team began to move down the aisle, the door opened and a man walked inside. He was tall, well built, but not bulky. His blonde hair parted to the left, and was shaggy without being messy. It looked well kept. He wore the standard teacher attire, minus the blazer. Similar to Professor Ooblek, he wore his sleeves rolled up, but he looked clean. He smiled at the mass trying to leave the room and held his hands up. "Slow it down, kids. I apologize, but I didn't know I'd be starting today."

 _How irresponsible._ "My name is Mr. Ryker, and I'm your new Modern Combat teacher. I was a Lieutenant in the Atlas Military Special Forces. I've spent my whole life fighting the enemies of our world. If any of you had to fight in a war, most of you would parish. I'm happy to say that my job is to make sure you don't. Now get out of my class so I can prepare an actual lesson for tomorrow." He gestured at the door and turned to the desk.

Ruby and the team stood to leave, but Weiss sat remained seated. "You coming, Weiss?"

"I have a few questions for the new teacher," she huffed. Ruby giggled and walked down. For a second, Weiss felt her heartbeat rise. _What was that?_

The room was almost empty, and Weiss rose, approaching the desk in the front of the room. "Excuse me?"

Mr. Ryker turned to her and smiled. "Can I help you? I thought I kicked you out?"

Weiss sarcastically laughed. "Har Har. I have a couple of questions about your teaching style."

Mr. Ryker laughed and picked up a folder. "You must be Ms. Schnee. I was warned about you. The old teacher has several notes about you."

"All good, I assume?"

"Sure, I'll let you believe that." He smiled at her. Her heartbeat rose again.

"What do you plan on teaching us?" Weiss crossed her arms, to show that she didn't feel like playing around with him. He must have picked up on her visual cue, because his face grew stern, and almost hardened.

"I plan on teaching you how to fight other Sapiens, whether they be Human or Faunus."

"That's what the last teacher said, and all we learned was theory."

He smiled again. "Well, I can't justify throwing you into a war to teach you, but I'll definitely throw in some physical training. Tell you what; I'm new to this. What do you want me to teach you and your fellow students? These notes say that you tried to teach the class by proxy anyway."

Weiss pondered for a moment. How would she teach the class? It was a big responsibility and they couldn't fight people to the extent they needed to. "What did you learn in training?"

He scrunched up his face. "Hm?"

"For the military. What did you learn. How did you first learn to fight."

He leaned back on his desk and gave her a straight face. "They brainwashed us into thinking that the only way you'd ever reach your cot again was to shoot the other guy."

Weiss widened her eyes. "That's horrible."

"That's war. I'm not here to teach you how to be soldiers, kid. I'm here to teach you how to fend off an attacker or distract them long enough to get civilians out of the way."

"Well, maybe you do."

"Maybe I do need to teach you to be soldiers?" He gave her a bit of a shocked look, and Weiss looked at her feet.

"Look, there's a pretty bad guy who me and my friends keep running into. We fight and fight him, but never get anywhere. My friend, Ruby," _I can't believe I called her that_ , "She's fought him twice. Once almost resulting in the death of our other friend, Blake."

"I don't plan on teaching you to kill, Ms. Schnee. I can teach you how to get there; the point where you need to decide, but I can't teach you how to kill someone. That'd be immoral and dangerous. Not to mention the emotional and mental strain required to push someone that far."

"Was it hard for you?"

He looked away from her, shifting his gaze into space for a moment before looking at the door. "Look, I don't want to lie to you, but you couldn't understand the answer. I think this session has lasted long enough. You'll learn something helpful tomorrow, I promise." He stood and walked to the other side of his desk. "Now get out so I work on that helpful thing."

Weiss opened the door and watched him begin to reach into the drawer. She recognized the action and spoke up. "You've got two more classes to turn down, today." He slacked his hand and smirked. He thanked her and removed his hand from the drawer.

Weiss returned to her room and dropped her books on the bed. He watched the bed swing slightly and Ruby stuck her head out from her bunk. "So, what'd you ask him?"

"Just about his lesson plan," Weiss responded, keeping to herself why she asked him.

"Oh, I'm sure," Yang chimed in, obnoxiously. "You just wanted some personal time with tall, blonde, and handsome."

Weiss looked down at her pile of books, flipping through the pile, looking for the one's she'd need for next period. "No, I just wanted a chat. I'm not a harlot like you. It'd be unprofessional." Weiss smiled as she turned around, knowing that she'd bested Yang, and worked on social interaction. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. "Speechless? The amazing Yang can't create a comeback? You must be getting stale."

"Yeah, okay, Frost-butt. Just you wait." Yang got up and left the room, laughing manically as she did.

"Weiss," Ruby started. "We have to work on you being nice."

For a second, Weiss was hurt by the statement. "But she started it!"

"Come on, Weiss. Let's go get lunch." Ruby hopped down from her bunk and walked from the room. Weiss huffed, and eventually followed her.

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Jeff sat at his desk and poured more whiskey into his small glass. A light knock at his door drew his attention away from the notes on his desk. "Come in," he called. The door opened and a man wearing a delivery uniform entered the dimly lit room.

"Sorry this is so late, sir," the man said as he directed another two men carrying stacked weapons crates.

"Is the special crate there?" Jeff asked the man.

"You mean the one with the expensive whiskey? Yes, sir."

"Then it's okay!" Jeff cheered. He rose from his desk and walked over to the three crates that were sitting in the middle of the lecture hall. He read over the labels and turned to the delivery man. "Got a crowbar?"

"Right here, sir," the man said as he passed a crowbar over to Jeff. Jeff slid the blade into a crease in the casing, and popped the first lid free. Inside were an assortment of weapon parts. Everything he would need to build an arsenal.

In the other two containers were tactical gear and even several bottles of imported whiskey. Jeff signed the papers and waved the delivery men out the door. He looked over the boxes and grabbed the notes from his desk.

He walked over to his recently stocked desk and pulled a set of tools from the drawer. Jeff collected the parts he would need to conduct tomorrow's lesson. As he assembled the pieces, he thought back to his client's daughter. The question she had asked him; was it hard for him.

He took another swig of the amber liquor in his glass, hoping to forget another name from his years in the service.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Weiss Schnee_

As always, Weiss was the first one in class, but today, she was only the first student. The new teacher, Mr. Ryker, was already in class, leaning against his desk and reading a stack of papers. He looked a little different today. Maybe it was the properly combed hair that went back over his head. Maybe it was the bullet proof tactical vest covering his chest.

Weiss set her books down on her desk and walked to the front of the room. "I see you're trying some new fashion style," She remarked.

He turned toward her and set the papers on the desk behind him. Weiss could now make out a sort of tan and black checkered scarf around his neck below the vest. His vest had several pouches attached to it and several of those pouches sported a knife. At his hip was a holstered hand gun; a fairly large revolver.

His response was more stern than yesterday. "Nope. I'm going to teach you a thing or two today, and I want to be protected."

Weiss looked him over once more and returned to her seat to wait for the rest of her team. As Weiss waited, she watched him. He continued to read the papers from his desk, and after several moments, he drew a blade from his vest. Weiss watched his fingers twirl the knife. She could barely keep up as his fingers moved the blade in loops and spins. _He's way too fast. No, not fast._ She couldn't put her finger on how he moved the blade, but it wasn't with speed like Ruby.

Weiss was startled by the sound of the door opening. She watched Ruby walk in and was expecting Yang and Blake behind her, but neither followed. Ruby sat down next to Weiss and looked up at the new instructor. "Neat trick. Think he could teach me."

"If he teaches us anything. Where's the rest of the group?" Weiss asked as she went back to studying the knife spinning.

Ruby looked back at the door and then to Weiss again. "They were being slow, and I thought I'd come talk to you."

Weiss drew her attention away from the knife and looked quizzically at Ruby. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Ruby blushed a little. "No, we just don't talk much. You know, just the two of us."

Weiss looked at the clock and gave her attention to Ruby. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I don't know much about you other than your family. I wanna' know about Weiss!" Ruby smiled, warming Weiss momentarily, but ultimately confusing her.

"You'll have to be more specific Ruby. I don't do idle chatter." The idea was new to Weiss. Never before had anyone just wanted to know about _her._ Most people who talked to her just cared about her connections.

"I don't know," Ruby stammered. "What did you do for fun before you came here?"

Weiss thought for a second. "I fenced."

"Not training, silly. Fun. What did you do to just goof around when you weren't worrying about school and training?"

Weiss lowered her gaze. She _didn't_ stop worrying about school and training. She did everything to impress her father. That was her focus. "I never really goofed around, Ruby. I focused on my future."

"What? You never did anything for fun? What about a boyfriend?" That was definitely a rough one. She hadn't thought about him in almost a year. Sometimes she missed him; how he would care about her pushing herself too much and convince her to relax for a short time.

"Maybe a girlfriend?" Ruby asked. Weiss realized she had been silent for longer than socially acceptable.

"No. I had a boyfriend some time ago." Weiss swore that Ruby slacked a little at that comment, almost appearing sad. Within milliseconds, though, she returned to her peppy self.

"Well, there's a fair in town, and I don't know the area. Would you want to come with me? We could teach you how to have fun."

Weiss sighed. "Can't you get your sister to go with you. I need to focus on homework." Ruby's expression fell and she looked up at Weiss.

"Please, Weiss?"

Weiss sighed. "I suppose. But only for a short time, then, you promise me to spend time on your homework."

Ruby's expression improved and she smiled at Weiss. "Okay, Weiss. You have yourself a deal."

Ruby began to chat with Weiss, who gave up on trying to make small talk, and just listened to Ruby. After a few minutes, Yang and Blake walked into the room, and Ruby transferred her attention to them. As nice as it was to have a conversation for once in her life, it was exhausting. She'd be reviewing it all morning, thinking about how she could have better answered and participated. At exactly eleven, Mr. Ryker's watch began to beep.

Weiss looked back up and noticed his spins had turned to tosses, as he flicked the knife into the air and caught it without even glancing at the blade. With everyone sitting, he looked around the room and set the papers down, not ever letting the blade slow. "Welcome. I look around the room and see that most of you have special weapons. Some you've crafted yourself, and some you've inherited. Whatever the case, you've come to rely on these tools of your trade. What most of you don't realize is that you won't always have these weapons. You will become separated from your gear, or become disarmed, and most of you will be helpless. Today, I'm going to start teaching you how to either make it back to your weapon or find a new one. Any questions?"

Weiss felt surprised at the usefulness of this lesson. She was about to comment when a student in the back of the class spoke up. "How are you doing that?" he shouted.

"Doing what?" Mr. Ryker questioned, not once faltering in his blade showmanship.

"That knife thing. You aren't even looking!" the buffoon gaped.

"You go to a school full of kids who wield giant scythes and fall from the sky, but you're concerned with playing with a knife?" The disgust in Mr. Ryker's face was apparent. He caught the blade mid spin and slid it into the sheathe on his vest.

"Are there any real questions?"

Someone else in the class spoke up. "When would we ever be able to be disarmed? We're training to be the greatest fighters in the world!"

"I spent sixteen years in the military. Are you actually questioning me?"

The student stood now and laughed as he spoke. "Yeah! I think you're full of yourself. You were probably kicked out of the military for incompetency!" Weiss looked up and recognized Cardin.

"Alright. Come down here and prove that you are the greatest fighter in the world."

"With Pleasure." Cardin stood and grabbed his mace.

The room grew silent as Cardin stepped onto the same level as Mr. Ryker. Cardin lifted his mace to his shoulder and stood ready to fight. Meanwhile, Mr. Ryker continued to lean on his desk. "You can start any time Mr. Winchester."

"This'll be easier than I thought," he shouted as he charged at Mr. Ryker. As Cardin brought the mace down onto Mr. Ryker, he groaned and the mace fell to the floor, clattering back and forth. Mr. Ryker held Cardin's wrist off to the side, holding him in an uncomfortable position. As Cardin shoved himself back he looked a little shocked at the instructor, who appeared bored. "Give me something less predictable."

Cardin lunged for his mace, and Mr. Ryker tripped him to the floor. Cardin scrambled on the floor to grab the weapon, but Ryker snatched the weapon up with his boot and swung it to his desk, setting it neatly upright in the center. "Come get it. This should be easy for you."

Cardin was growing visibly angrier as he tried to get under Ryker. Ryker swung his elbow down and Cardin collapsed.

"Now, if you're done acting like children, I'd like to teach you. Or do I have to show another one of you how to be polite?"

After Cardin shuffled back to his seat, mumbling the entire time, Mr. Ryker began his lesson. He was reviewing common styles of weapons you'd find in the field, and how to use them. Most of them were simpler forms of blades, and items you could interpret as said blades.

Weiss was taking notes on items that would make a good broadsword, that being the closest thing to her rapier, when Ruby nudged her elbow. "When do you think he'll teach us about his cool moves?" Ruby giggled, and Weiss let herself smile a little before shushing Ruby. _Great. She's rubbing off on me._

Weiss went back to the lecture, and noticed Mr. Ryker had moved on to types of firearms. He removed several of them from boxes and showed how to do the basics, except fire the weapon. Weiss checked the time and noticed how close they were to the end of the class. Just as the clock struct twelve, Mr. Ryker's watch went off.

The class began to shuffle down the stadium seating and Mr. Ryker yelled over the crowd, "And remember, we're meeting outside in the range to fire these weapons tomorrow!"

Within moments, Weiss and Ruby were the only ones left. Weiss walked up to the instructor, who was now repacking the firearms. "Thank you."

"Hm?" He turned to face the girls.

"You came through, and taught something useful. The last professor just taught theory and history."

Mr. Ryker leaned against the desk and he looked over the two girls. "That almost sounded like a compliment. I don't have any notes to help me when you're being nice."

Weiss tightened her grip and squinted her eyes. "Look I'm trying to be nice here."

"Really? Yesterday you were questioning my morals."

"That's why I'm trying to be nice. I'm trying to make up for my attitude yesterday!"

Ruby put her hand on Weiss' arm and looked up at her. "Weiss, let's just go."

Mr. Ryker sighed and held up his hand. "Hang on. Here," he reached back and grabbed a small book. "This is a psychological notebook from the field. It highlights psychological attributes on persons encountered in the field. Read this over, tell me about ease of killing, and I'll give you extra credit. Talk to me tomorrow when I've dealt with all the Winchester's of the world. I promise I won't be so hard to talk to."

Weiss glared at him, but Ruby thanked him and pulled her out. When they were halfway down the hallway, Weiss let loose the irritation she'd been holding in. "I was trying to be nice to him! Why couldn't he just accept my compliment? Doesn't he know who I am? I don't give compliments out like candy, Ruby. I tried being nice and look what happened. I could make his life a living _hell_ outside of this academy!"

"Weiss."

"Heck, I could have him fired for being so insulting to me. Better yet, we watched him assault another student today in front of the class!"

"Weiss."

"Even if that Winchester is a piece of…"

"Weiss!"

Weiss stopped and looked at Ruby. "What?"

Ruby looked up at her sympathetically. "I'm sure it's just been a rough day for him. Let's wait until tomorrow to ruin his life. Besides, he gave you that little book."

"Fine. But I want you to know that I'm only waiting because you asked! I'm not weak!"

"Weiss. Let's go get you some cookies."

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Jeff finished sealing the crate with the weapons. A satisfying hiss was heard as the air was pushed from the seal. He thumbed at the keypad, closing the lock on the crate. He walked over to his desk and reached over the surface to slide open the drawer. He slipped his hand inside and removed a small glass and a bottle of whiskey. "Let's see what names I can forget while I do this paperwork," he mumbled to himself.

He poured some liquor into the glass and started to flip through the forms to use the field range. He began to fill out the names of the students that would be attending, looking at his class lists to make sure he got everyone. When he got to Cardin Winchester in his first period, he decided to skip it. _Maybe I'll teach the kid a lesson. He won't go get to shoot guns. Take that, you know-it-all little shit._

He finished the papers and stacked them up. He gathered everything he'd need, and made his way down to the Central Office of Academics to turn in the forms.

After getting turned around twice, he found the room. Glenda Goodwitch sat at a desk in the room and eyed him as he walked in. "Afternoon, Ma'am." He said as he handed the papers over.

"Mr. Ryker."

She took the papers from his hand and looked them over. "I'm teaching them how to use conventional firearms in case they can't use their personal weapons."

She looked up at him and slowly nodded. "I see. That's a strange approach."

"I figured they'll thank me later. I can't tell you how many times I used this knowledge in the field."

"Yes. You are an ex-soldier in the Atlas military. In fact, you're not a standard hire. You have no experience with teaching, you haven't worked in years, and you have medically diagnosed PTSD."

"Lucky I found this position, huh?" He smiled at her, bluffing his innocence.

"I don't know why they hired you, but be careful, Mr. Ryker. You won't get the same warnings as other _Professors_."

"I promise not to mutilate any of the kids!" he joked. He chuckled a bit to himself as he turned away.

"Wait. This came in the mail for you." He turned back around to find Glenda holding a yellow envelope. "In the future, please don't have your personal mail sent her, Mr. Ryker."

Jeff took the envelope and headed back to his classroom. As he walked, he tore the sear from the yellow paper, and slid out the contents. Inside was a printed message and a picture of a man. When Jeff realized what the envelope was, he slid the contents back in and increased his pace to the room.

As he crossed the threshold to his room, he slammed the door and locked the deadbolt. He pulled the contents out and laid them out on his desk. The picture showed a Faunus man in his mid-thirties, dark hair, square face. He looked at the note.

 _Name: Michael Dearing._

 _White Fang member suspected of photographing asset. Confirm connection and handle situation. Burn after reading._

Jeff sighed. _So, my real job begins._

* * *

 **AN: So, like I said, I wrote a few chapters over the Thanksgiving break. If you aren't from America, it's basically a holiday dedicated to stuffing ourselves and binge shopping. I do have the next chapter about half written, but I have a promise to keep. A promise I haven't made yet.**

 **I'm going to try and have at least one chapter written a week, and uploaded by 11:00 PM (23:00) US Central Time. I may have two, I may only have one. Now, that doesn't mean that they'll be uploaded on Sunday, just before Sunday.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _Weiss Schnee_

The book lay open in front of her, staring at her as if to mock her. The gift that was so graciously given to her by the new professor sat out next to a notebook and a pen. Weiss had been taking notes on pages that had been earmarked, tabbed, or starred with black ink. Over and over, it recited information about subjects the author interrogated after apprehension. Each person took up two pages, the left, and right. The left side had the person's physical description along with basic notes about their associations. The right side contained notes on the subject's psychological tributes and several notes on their aura's and semblance.

One thing was apparent to Weiss; these were field notes. Mr. Ryker had said that, but most of these entries were made in the middle of firefights or mission. Weiss made notes on the titles of missions and the such, feeling that these were important to the origin of the notebook. There were several recurring names, as well.

 _Jackal, Kitty, Maxim, and Tophat._

All of the names were written in shorthand and often had to do with the apprehension of the subjects. Weiss assumed that these were the author's squad mates and that they were call signs, not names.

But no matter how many entries she read, she couldn't understand what Mr. Ryker wanted her to understand. _Maybe it's just farther in the book. I am only halfway through._

Weiss was startled by the sound of the door and spun her head around to find Ruby standing at the door. "Weiss, you've been buried in that book all day." Weiss recognized concern in her voice, but it didn't matter. She was assigned this project and she would complete it. She always had.

"I just don't see it, Ruby. I can't figure out what this has to do with killing people. Sure, there have been a couple of entries about terrorists who _don't care_ about killing people, but nothing about what it takes to kill people!" Weiss threw her hands up in frustration.

Ruby walked forward and sat on the bottom bunk. "Maybe it's not about the people. Who wrote it?"

"Some field psychologist named Albert Oren. From the best I can tell; his semblance was reading Auras. He would interrogate prisoners and others for the team in the field." Weiss flipped through some of the pages and picked up the book. Weiss pushed her feet against the ground and forced her weight to the left, spinning the chair to face Ruby.

"Here: ' _Name, Rockwell Syller. Association, Small anti-military cell. Reason for apprehension, bombing military installation, resulting in 23 deaths. 5 children. Notes on apprehension, Jackal broke his arm/Kitty dislocated his knee. 7 dead terrorists, Titan requested interrogation.'_ Then, on the next page, he rambles about Aura and psychological trauma. At one point, he even says _'snapped him to sleep'_ like some kind of hypnotist! I just don't understand it."

Ruby looked down at the floor for a second. "That guy sounded pretty awful. What's they do with him?"

Weiss put her head in her hands. "I don't know. It doesn't say. The last note on the page is ' _EX'._

"What's that mean?" Ruby tilted her head a little, and Weiss felt a smile begin to creep onto her lips. She stopped it, reminding herself that she was mad at the book.

"I don't know. It's on almost every page, except for a few."

"Which one's don't have it?"

Weiss flipped through and found one that didn't have the final remark on the page. "Officer Michael Son. He's a police officer." Weiss flipped through some more. "Tyler Commers. It looks like they pulled him out of some slavery trap." Weiss turned a few more pages and found another. "Amber Elling. She was caught in a firefight, and they questioned her while the fighting was still going on." Weiss continued and flip and looked up at Ruby, who held her finger just under her nose.

Her eyes squinted, then expanded. "Weiss, you said most of these are prisoners of some kind? The only people who don't have that remark are civilians and innocent people. What if that remark _is_ what happened to them?"

Weiss' eye grew wide. " _Ex_ ecuted."

"What if he gave you that book not to study the subjects, but the people who wrote it?"

"Ruby, you're a genius!"

Ruby smiled a little bit and stuck out her chest. She breathed in sharply and crossed her arms. "That's why I'm the leader." She said smugly.

Weiss wrote down the possibility in her notes and flipped back to the begging. This time, she would take notes on the comments about the team. As she began to scribble into the notebook, Ruby sighed. "Weiss, you've been working on that all day. Why don't you take a break?"

"Ruby, you just lead me to a great discovery. I need to figure out this manuscript."

Ruby pouted a little. "Weiss, you promised to go to the fair with me. Why don't you give it a little bit? It'll be there when you come back."

Weiss sighed and set her pen down. "I suppose we'll go."

Ruby smiled and grabbed Weiss' hand. "Yay! I can't wait to ride the Farris wheel with you!" Weiss realized something as Ruby pulled her from the room. Ruby's small hands were delicate, and they were comfortable as well. It almost felt, well, comforting.

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Jeff pulled the short handgun out of the bundle in the passenger seat. He looked around the street for any pedestrians that might notice the metal tool in his hand. He slid his hand back into the bundle and removed the silencer, screwing it into the barrel of the gun. With it tightly attached, he slid it into the shoulder holster under his long coat.

Jeff opened the door on the gray rented sedan and stepped out of the car. He gently pushed the door back into place and began to walk down the sidewalk. He smiled at passerby's and even stopped to comment on an adorable baby. He felt normal for just a moment. Almost like he wasn't on his way to assassinate a terrorist.

He eventually came to a park with a wide fountain located in the center. He looked around the space and found it covered in potted plants and decorative concrete tiles. On the far side was a set of benches, which he decided to make his way to. He noticed a man reading a newspaper and approached the gentle looking elder. "You finished with the Classifieds?"

The old man smiled and separated the sections of the paper, handing the new chunk off to Jeff. Jeff smiled and thanked the man. The bench he chose gave him a good view of the entire space but put him out of noticeable view. He would be of no interest to anyone near the fountain, and that's what he hoped for. He folded the paper to the section he wanted to read, and began his wait.

Jeff could hear the music of the fair in the not-to-distant section of the park, and began to softly whistle the tune being blared from the rides and vendors.

After about half an hour of waiting, Jeff noticed the man sitting down on the far side of him, nearest the fair. He judged the man could make out a good portion of the grounds from where he sat. The man wore a camera around his neck, which only sealed his coffin lid more.

Jeff had the option of letting the man be, but only if he was innocent. To Jeff, he didn't look innocent. The man picked up his camera and began to take pictures of the fair ground. Jeff followed the camera's line of sight to one of the booths. He couldn't make out anything worth taking a picture, so he waited until the man changed focus.

Jeff was searching the booths for something that might attract a normal photographer's attention when a flash of red and white caught his eye. He followed the path, and when it reappeared, he saw Weiss and Ruby chatting.

 _That gives me the answer I needed._

Jeff looked around. The fountain was deserted except for a jogger making his way out of the space. Jeff stood and slid the sleeve up on his left hand. His normally active watch was tucked away, and Jeff made an audible sigh, even laughing to himself. He began to approach the man, mumbling to himself about the things he'd lose if they weren't attached to him. When he got close enough to the man, he spoke directly to the photographer. "Excuse me. I seem to have misplaced my watch. Could you tell me the time?"

Jeff continued to get closer until he was standing almost over the man. The photographer smiled and checked his own watch. "It's just past Six," he responded.

Jeff pointed to the man's wrist and nodded down. "Do you mind?"

The man moved his wrist out so that Jeff could lean in and read the face. Jeff leaned forward and squinted at the clock. "Thanks," Jeff said as he grabbed the man's wrist. Jeff reached into his coat and slid out the gun, turning it to the man's sternum. Jeff pulled the trigger three times before the man could even know what was happening. When the body collapsed, Jeff looked around and put the barrel to his head, pulling it one more time to be certain there was no bringing this man back.

Jeff grabbed the camera and turned to walk away, taking the most remote path towards the fair grounds. He flipped through the recent photos and confirmed that the man was spying on Weiss. He pulled the battery and memory card free, tossing the camera into the bushes, making the whole thing look like a mugging turned violent.

He made his way back into the city, taking care not to walk the same path back to the car. When he finally made it back to the gray sedan, the sun had begun to set and some of the shops were beginning to close up. He opened the door and sat down in the driver's seat, pushing the key into the ignition.

He took a deep breath and looked down at the gloves he wore. _Same shit, different day._

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

The Farris wheel loomed above her, standing giant in the center of the grounds. Ruby pulled at her arm, luring her closer and closer to the behemoth. Weiss smiled and moved her feet a little faster to keep up with the persistent tug. When they got to the line, Weiss regretting buying Ruby the funnel cake, as the younger girl began to shake with anticipation. Weiss waited in line, while Ruby attempted to make friends with all the other patrons of the fair. When it was finally their turn, Weiss grabbed Ruby by the hood and pulled her towards the seats.

As the bench rose into the sky, Ruby scooted closer to Weiss. Weiss looked over at the petite figure next to her. "Do you not have enough room?" she asked.

Ruby smiled and glanced up, her pale cheeks turning pink. "I've got plenty of room."

Weiss studied the girl and scrunched up her eyes. "Are you afraid of heights? It's okay to be afraid of them, I just never expected someone as reckless as y…"

"Weiss, I carried a bird up the side of a cliff. I'm not afraid of heights." Ruby's cheeks got darker as she looked away from Weiss and out towards the city. "It's beautiful up here."

Weiss changed her focus to the scenery and stared out at the lights. "Yeah, it's almost like the one I had back home."

Ruby looked back at Weiss. "Did you live really high up?"

Weiss looked at her hands. "You could say that. I practically lived at my father's office. When I was younger, I would stare out at the lights while he yelled at employees."

Ruby looked back out at the lights and sighed. "I couldn't imagine. My life was pretty normal, except that my mom was gone."

Weiss began to play with her fingers. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm pretty lucky to have both of my parents."

Ruby gave a sad smile to Weiss. "It's okay. I had my uncle to help raise me. It's almost like I had two dads instead of the traditional family."

Weiss tilted her head up and giggled a bit. "I wasn't even raised by my parents. I was raised by the orderlies and servants until I was fourteen when my parents decided to take over. Hell, I have more memories of employees attending my tournaments than my parents."

Ruby nodded and giggled. "See, you do know what it's like to grow up without a mom."

Weiss smiled. "I even remember some of them being proud of me and treating me like their own kids."

"Well, I'm glad you turned out the way you did. I don't know where I'd be without you constantly nagging me, Weiss."

Weiss laughed. "That wouldn't happen so much if you would quit getting distracted."

Ruby smiled. "But then I wouldn't be here," Ruby gestured to the fair. "With you."

Weiss smiled. "I know I was a pain at first, but I'm glad to have a friend like you, Ruby."

Weiss noticed Ruby's smile shrink a little. Weiss let her smile fade as she began to calculate what she did wrong, but Ruby interrupted her panic, expanding the smile a little bit. "I'm glad we're friends too, Weiss."

The giant wheel made its rotation, and they stepped off the ride. Ruby continued to lead Weiss to games, and food, and more games, but something sat in the back of Weiss' mind. _Why did she stop smiling? What did I say? What was she thinking?_ Weiss pressed and pressed while winning toys and consuming the cuisine. Weiss didn't expect the final question that crept up into her mind, though.

 _Why did I notice?_

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys! I know this was shorter, but I couldn't think of writing about the fair, and I want the notebook thing to expand into a greater part of the plot line, and I just felt like it was short, but important. There are several important things that are mentioned in this chapter, but I know it was super short. I'm wrapping up the semester, so I'm not getting as much writing done as I'd like. Scratch that,** ** _casual_** **writing. After spending 6 hours in Word, you don't really wanna keep going for fun.**

 **I'll do my best to get the next chapter up sooner to make up for the length. I'll try for two next week, but I can't promise anything.**

 **Thanks for reading. Have a good day, night, or whatever. Don't do drugs, kids.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Weiss Schnee_

The clock ticked by at an ever slower pace as Professor Port yammered on about the mighty beasts that lurked the woods, and how he slew all of them with only his bare hands. Weiss checked the clock to find that she still had another forty-five minutes before she could dash from the room.

She looked over at her friends. Yang was asleep, Blake was reading, and Ruby was drawing. Weiss looked over at the drawing and saw a fairly decent portrait of the two of them on the top of a cliff. Weiss imagined that a story about fighting monsters accompanied the photo in the young girl's mind.

Weiss looked down at the books on her desk. Sitting below the notebook was the psychological notebook that Mr. Ryker had provided her. She knew she wouldn't have time to read through it in his class, as they were going to the range again to learn about new weapons. She slid the small notebook out and opened it.

She was now halfway through the book since Ruby had given her the idea to check out the team _creating_ the notes. The biggest find was that certain subjects caused more anger in the team, and therefore made the capture more violent. One thing began to become clear to Weiss, though. As time went on, it became easier for the team to kill these subjects. There were no notes of contest, no comments on the morality, just "EX" at the end.

Weiss began to write down the notes for the current subject. She looked up at the board, giving the appearance that she was taking notes for the class. Weiss took notes on eight subjects before Ruby looked over. "Anything new," she whispered.

"Nothing big yet, but it is getting easier to kill the subjects."

"Easier?"

"Less objection and stalling."

"Oh."

Weiss smiled at Ruby and flipped the next page. She began the standard note shape for each subject but stopped at the name.

 _Jackal_

Weiss read the entry, confused at the sudden change in focus.

 _Name: CS Jackal_

 _Association: Atlas_

 _Reason for Entry: Complaints of nightmares, paranoia, anxiety (Requested by me)_

 _Entry Notes: Worried about 'ghosts' coming back for him, possibly harming CS Kitty_

Weiss scribbled her notes quickly as the pieces began to fall together.

 _Psychological Status: Stable, but deteriorating. Consistent paranoia in the field. Stalled mission progress on multiple occasions due to paranoia surrounding CS Kitty. Jackal displays a fondness for Kitty, unprecedented. Possible attraction from extended period together._

 _Aura Status: Fading color in Aura. Emotions are starting to decay or shift focus, possibly due to the extremity of orders. Semblance appears unaffected by Aura change. Tests conducted show that, currently, color and emotional change have not affected Aura strength._

Weiss sighed and set her pen down. _So, that's what he wanted me to see._ Weiss looked over the notes. It was clear to her that the constant killing was beginning to take a mental toll on Jackal. It was affecting his emotional stability, which was possibly starting to affect the stability of his Aura.

Weiss shifted her notes to Ruby, who looked between them and Weiss before focusing on the text. After sifting the document, Ruby looked up at Weiss. "He was in love with Kitty?" Ruby whispered sharply.

"Love? I'm more concerned with his lack of emotional stability!" Weiss hissed. "This was clearly starting to affect his combat effectiveness."

"Girls," Professor Port shouted. They looked up front to find the teacher staring at them. "Would you like to share your stories with the rest of us?"

Weiss sighed and corrected her posture. "No, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Very well," Port replied before returning to his lecture. Weiss closed the notebook and leaned back against the chair. She considered her conclusion; the more Jackal killed, the easier it got. The easier it got, the more it disturbed him until he eventually couldn't handle it. The most logical conclusion from the string of data would be that he was having a hard time having so much blood on his hands. After all, you'd have to remember all the people you killed. Taking someone's life, it couldn't be anything easy and would be a struggle you remember for a while.

Weiss checked the clock and happily found that the class was just about over. She felt her stomach growl and frowned a little. Ruby giggled and leaned closer. "Wanna go get food with me? I'm hungry."

Weiss frowned at her stomach. "You're always hungry, Ruby."

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

"Dammit, Mr. Macklin. I told you to keep it on Semi-Automatic." Jeff paced over to the startled boy. Jeff watched him hold the rifle awkwardly, out of fear that it would jump around again. "You need to fire it slowly to learn about the recoil. This isn't a video game."

The student, eyes still wide from the fright, nodded and apologized. Jeff repositioned the rifle in his hands and flipped the firing more. "Now, take a deep breath." Jeff watched the student's chest grow. "Now pull the trigger as you breath out." Jeff heard the weapon discharge and smiled. "There we go. Not so bad if you do it right, huh?"

The student chuckled a bit, clearly still nervous. "I guess so, sir."

Jeff gently slapped his shoulder. "Please don't do that again," he said as he turned to walk away.

Jeff scanned over the 14 students standing in a line, all firing different types of weapons. Amongst the crowd, he spotted Ms. Schnee, firing a marksman's rifle. He laughed a little at the predictability. _No danger, no surprise, just precision._

He walked over to his crates and grabbed an assault rifle. He walked up to Weiss and tapped gently on her shoulder. "Safety on." She flicked the switch and turned around to him. "Yes, sir?"

"Give me that," he pointed to the rifle. She glanced at the rifle and handed it over to him. He set the assault rifle in her hands and faced her towards the range. "You're hitting every shot, so try something new."

She flicked the switch and aimed down the sights. She pulled the trigger and lowered the weapon. "This weapon isn't accurate," she criticized.

He smiled. "It's not supposed to be. Put it in Full Automatic."

She flicked the switch again and braced the weapon against her shoulder. "Prepare for the recoil," he shouted as he watched her chest expand. When her chest fell again, she unleashed a barrage of bullets, littering the target.

She scowled at the target. "That was a waste of Ammunition."

"No," Jeff said as he walked up next to her. "That was a lesson." He pointed out the holes in the target. "You have eight lethal hits. If you don't have the time to aim, this will definitely kill them. Or several of them. You were averaging seven seconds in between each shot on the DMR. That's more than enough time for them to put a couple of rounds into you."

She shifted her scowl to him. "Bullets don't pierce Aura."

He patted her on the shoulder. "They do when you get worn down."

He walked over to Ms. Rose, who had picked up a light machine gun. Jeff stared at the small girl, holding a weapon almost the same size as her. She had the weapon propped up on the table in front of her. "You've picked that up, quickly." He said as he watched her fire in bursts at the target. After a few seconds, she had the wooden shape torn to shreds.

She turned to him and cocked her head. "WHAT?" she shouted. Jeff sighed and pulled ear plugs from his pocket and handed them to her. "Wear these next time!" he shouted.

Jeff stepped away and glanced back over his students. To him, it looked like things were going well. They were learning how to use new weapons to defend themselves, and he was teaching them about how other humans would think in combat.

Jeff felt the scroll buzz in his pocket, and he pulled the tablet free. He slid it open to find a message sitting in his inbox. The sender was blank, and the message was clear.

 _Check your mail._

He sighed. It was probably from one of Schnee's men, or Schnee himself. It meant that he had another task for the real job, just reminding him that he hadn't _actually_ made it any higher in life. He was just pretending.

The Class ended and Jeff made his way to the mail room to pick up the envelope. He was handed the yellow paper folder and took it back to the room. As usual, he locked the door and tore open the package. A picture of the target slipped free.

He pulled the instructions out of the packet and read them. These directions had an added benefit. The included his plans for the evening. Clearly, Mr. Schnee was upping his surveillance on possible terrorists. Jeff checked on the restaurant he was attending and pulled his scroll out to look the place up. He found it to be a high-end restaurant near the center of town.

That would make it hard. He couldn't just walk up and execute the man in a crowded place. He could try and poison the food, but that would require a lot of prep work, and it was too short notice. He couldn't use any form of explosives because of the crowd. He would have to figure out how to get him at a distance. He looked at a map of the area and found a building that would suffice for a sniper point.

He went to work fitting the pieces together for his rifle.

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

Weiss smoothed her hand across the sheets as she lined up the edge. The air fluttered out, allowing the fabric to cling to itself. She leaned forward and grabbed for the corner opposite her. As she pulled the sheet to the headboard, she stretched her body to extend her reach. With her hand now extended as far as she could go, she felt a slight breeze swirl up her skirt.

She ignored it, after all, she _was_ alone. She straightened out the corner of the bed, aware what a show she must be putting on for the furniture in the room. As she straightened herself up, she brushed down her skirt; hiding her undergarments from the light once more.

She put her pillow in place and smiled. The feeling of satisfaction washed over Weiss, and she turned towards the desk to begin studying. She jumped a bit when she found Ruby standing behind her, cheeks as red as her cape. "You scared the dust out of me, you dolt!"

Ruby looked down at her feet and began to fidget with her hands. "Sorry. I just came in here to ask you a question, but you looked busy, and I didn't want to disturb you while you were busy because you'd yell at me, and I get scared when you yell at me, and then you leaned over, and I could see… And then you turned around and jumped!"

Weiss squinted her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Slower, and in English."

"I could see your… Your undies." Ruby's cheeks burned brightly as the young girl tried even harder to keep from making eye contact.

"Ruby, you're a girl."

"So!?" Ruby began to panic, facing Weiss but still not making eye contact.

"I just meant that you're wearing the same thing. It's not like I'm wearing anything new for you. It's not that big of a deal."

Ruby mumbled something that Weiss interpreted as her _liking_ it, but she quickly dismissed it as incorrect. _Why would my team leader enjoy looking up my skirt? It's absurd._

Weiss sighed and dropped her hands from her hips. "What did you want to ask me?" she asked.

Ruby looked confused for a second, drawing another sigh out of Weiss. "You came in here to ask me something."

Ruby's entire body shifted as her mood turned from nervous to excited and anxious. She looked at Weiss and put her hands together eagerly. "Would you want to go to dinner with me tonight?"

Weiss felt her tongue begin to object, but she held it between her teeth. Her _friend_ was asking her to spend time together. The idea was new to Weiss, but the time she'd spent with Ruby recently was beginning to make Weiss feel good about herself. She still focused on her school work, but she felt… pleasure when she talked to Ruby. It pleased her to be friendly.

She considered what she might do with the time. She might be studying, or doing advanced lessons, but she considered how nice it'd feel to be with a caring friend, and school wasn't as important.

"I'd love to," Weiss said, smiling as she came to her conclusion. She had a friend and had to treat her right. "Where would you like to go?"

Ruby's face turned scarlet. "Oh…" She looked away and began to fidget with her hands a little before looking back up at Weiss. "I'm not picky… We can do what you want?"

Weiss considered her options and snapped her fingers together when she came up with the answer. "How would you like to go to a fancy restaurant tonight?"

Ruby's eyes lit up and she inched closer to Weiss. "Really? I've never been anywhere fancy before!" She smirked a little, and her cheeks darkened. "I usually break stuff, so my family never took me."

Weiss laughed a little. "Well, you're going with the richest girl in town, so I can afford when you break things."

Ruby grabbed Weiss' hands and squeezed it tight. "You're the best, Weiss." Weiss felt the need to pull away, but held herself there. It felt pleasant to have her hand held, and just like at the fair, Ruby's hands felt right. Weiss felt her head spin for a second, and Ruby let go.

Weiss let out a deep sigh, and searched for an understanding of these occurrences. Ruby looked at her with concern. "Are you okay, Weiss?"

Weiss realized that she was being too physical with her confusion, and dismissed it quickly. "It's just… Your outfit! We need to find you something nicer for a fancy restaurant."

Ruby looked down at her clothes, disappointed. "You don't like what I'm wearing?" Weiss felt her stomach tighten as Ruby's face fell from excitement to hurt.

"No! You just can't wear casual clothes to a fancy restaurant like the one I'm taking you to! We'll find you something fancy for the evening."

Weiss let her breath out slower this time, so Ruby wouldn't notice. She would need to take Ruby to get a nice dress for the evening, meaning that there could be no studying in the night. As she considered the consequences of this, she realized how minimal they'd be, and that she'd much rather spend the time with her friend.

Weiss smiled. Dare she say it? _Best Friend_. She chuckled to herself. _I can't believe it's this klutz._

* * *

 **AN: I know, it's past 11. I suck. I went to a café with a girl I've been flirting with and totally forgot about this.**

 **Not to mention trying to make the skirt thing not seem forced. Do you people know how hard it is to try and make something smutty sound tasteful? It's hard!**

 **In other news, I noticed no one has left reviews for this story, and it's concerning. If none of you felt the need to change anything, woo for me, but normally there are at least one or two praise reviews.**

 **Now, please don't interpret this as** ** _asking_** **for praise, but I just want to be sure I haven't accidently disabled the 'review' option on this story, cause I do like feedback. I want to hear from the readers. Am I doing things right? Am I doing them wrong? Am I pushing the story too fast or too slow? Do you have ideas for some subplot I could use ('cause I know where this is going, but now entirely how to get there)? Feedback is the most important tool I have as an author!**

 **Have a good day, or night, or whatever, and only do a few drugs!**

 **-Taco**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: So I'm gonna give a quick warning; I kinda had some problems. In this chapter, there exists a conversation between Weiss and Ruby about Summer. Now, I could have sworn that Ruby talked about Summer's death in Volume One or Two, but I could not, for the life of me, find it. I searched the Wiki, skimmed the series, and nothing. The only one I could find talking about it was Yang. Now, I'm basing this on the fact that I always knew Summer was Ruby's mother. I was with this from the start, and never had a doubt in my mind, but in doing research, found that this was super controversial and that no one knew who Summer Rose was!**

 **So, If I'm wrong, I'm ignoring it, and you will pretend that this is the first time Weiss has heard about Summer Rose, kay-kay? Glad we're on the same page.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 _Weiss Schnee_

The view was almost stunning. Ruby stepped out of the changing room, her new dress fitting her body beautifully. Weiss gleamed internally, for she had picked the _perfect_ dress for Ruby. The black mesh on her shoulders showed just the right amount of skin without being revealing, and the shade of the sleeveless dress matched the maroon at the tips of Ruby's hair. Weiss walked forward and tightened the sash around Ruby's waste. "Can I pick them, or what?" Weiss proudly exclaimed.

Ruby's face began to darken, and Weiss mused that it might soon match the dress. "This is beautiful Weiss, but it's a bit expensive." Ruby turned back to the changing room, but Weiss grabbed her hand.

For a second, Weiss cringed at the idea, but it passed the moment their skin touched, and then it was comforting again. She smiled at her younger friend. "Ruby, I'm treating you. This is pocket change to me." Weiss pulled at Ruby's hand slightly, persuading her to step away from the door.

Ruby sighed and smiled a little as she turned to face Weiss. "Okay… But what are you wearing?"

Weiss called for the seamstress, who brought out a brilliant white dress. The seamstress presented the gown and gave them a pleasant smile. "I thought the two of you might like to match, so I found a dress with similar meshing on the shoulders."

Weiss pondered this for a minute. If the two of them matched too closely, it might look like they were on a date. On the other hand, both dresses were beautiful, and it would work well with her skin tone. She thanked the seamstress and accepted the dress.

Weiss stepped into the changing room and slid off her normal dress, replacing it with the new one. When she reappeared, she watched Ruby's eye grow. "You look great, Weiss."

"I know I do," Weiss joked. The pair grabbed their normal clothes and walked to the register. "I think we'll be wearing these out," Weiss told the seamstress. She tapped at the register and Weiss handed the woman her card.

Weiss directed Ruby towards the door, excited for the surprise in store. When Ruby opened the door, she let out a short squeak. They looked out at the luxury sedan sitting in wait. "Is this ours?" Ruby whispered.

Weiss nodded and stepped closer to the vehicle. The driver stepped out and came around to open the door. Weiss held her hand out for Ruby, helping her ease down into the car. The driver shut the door and walked to the other side for Weiss. "Thank you," she said as the man held his hand out.

"My pleasure, Ms. Schnee." The driver shut the door and got into the driver seat.

Ruby scooted closer to Weiss. "You still haven't told me where we're going for dinner."

Weiss tilted her chin up and smirked. "And I'm not going to tell you. We'll be there soon enough. Just be patient."

Ruby put her head down. "I hate being patient."

Weiss pulled out her scroll to check on her reservations. "Good. You don't get everything you want." Her reservations were confirmed, meaning they would be seated as soon as they got there.

As the ride went on, Ruby would scoot closer to Weiss every couple of minutes. Whatever her reason, Weiss decided to let her. After all, the evening was about making Ruby happy. Weiss never before realized how great having a close friend was, and she wanted to make sure Ruby stayed that close friend.

The car began to slow down, and Weiss looked out the window to be sure they were at the right place.

They were. _La Maruna._ The fanciest restaurant in town. Weiss knew that her bill would be pricey, but giving Ruby a good night was important. Weiss had the sinking suspicion that this night was more than just a random meal. She knew it was something special to Ruby. She could feel it radiating from the young girl.

There was something on her mind, and Weiss wanted to figure it out.

They walked in and were seated near the window. Weiss opened up her menu and roamed over the exotic food offered. _Ruby won't have any idea what to get_ , she thought. Weiss tipped her menu forward to find Ruby staring at her. As soon as their eyes met, Ruby flipped her menu up to cover her gaze. "There's no reason to be embarrassed," Weiss offered.

Ruby leaned the menu forward to uncover her eyes. "There's not?"

"Of course not. It's not like you've ever been to one of these places before. I'll help you order." Weiss laid her menu on the table and began to explain the dishes to her friend.

After attempting to simplify the contents of the dishes, Ruby decided on a simpler meal of grilled fish, while Weiss decided on a fancier lamb garnished salad with fregola. Ruby giggled at Weiss' choice. "What?" Weiss asked.

"I have a rule, Weiss. Don't eat what you can't pronounce." The two girls laughed, attracting a waiter to the table. As he walked up, he set down bread and poured water into their glasses. Weiss presented their orders, and the two of them were left to themselves.

Ruby looked down at the table. "Sooooooooo…" she said as she trailed her head up. "Have you found anything else interesting in that notebook."

Weiss smiled. "No. You interrupted me this afternoon with this outing."

Ruby looked away again. "Ruby," Weiss prompted.

"Yes, Weiss," she responded without looking.

"Why do you keep looking away?"

Ruby finally looked back at Weiss. "I'm just… nervous. You're intimidating."

Weiss leaned back against her chair and straightened her posture. "Ruby, we've been in how many fights together? Why are you nervous now?"

Ruby played with her hands while she attempted to look at Weiss. "I don't know. In battle, I can just take charge, and I'm focused on stopping the baddies. Here, I'm not sure what to say, or what to talk about…" Ruby looked down again. "And you're really pretty." She mumbled.

Weiss cracked a grin. "How about I start. Tell me about your family," she said sweetly, leaning forward and pulling Ruby's fidgeting hands apart.

"Well," Ruby began. She looked up at Weiss, making eye contact for the first time since they ordered. "There's my sister."

"Don't get me started," Weiss interrupted. Both girls laughed a bit, and Ruby continued. "I've got my dad who's been taking care of us for a while. There's my uncle Qrow. He trained me to use Crescent Rose!"

"He sounds like a very reckless man," Weiss added.

"Oh, he's great. You should meet him!"

Weiss smiled. "Maybe one of these days. What about your mom?"

Ruby's smile sank. "She's been gone for a while."

Weiss' let her eyes grow a bit and began to stammer an apology. Ruby smiled, ending the shock. "It's been a while, Weiss, and you had no reason to know. She's never been out of my heart, though. She's the reason I wanted to become a Huntress! She left us to protect people, and this might be the only way I can be with her again."

Weiss sighed and set her hand on top of Ruby's. "She'd be proud of you."

Ruby smiled and placed her other hand on top. "I'm sure yours are too."

Weiss gave a depressed smile. "You'd think, but no. My father will never be proud of me, and my mother is too busy drinking to notice me."

"What about brothers or sisters?"

Weiss crossed her arms and rested against the chair. "My brother, Whitley, is more obnoxious than Yang, and Winter is always on my case about performing well."

Ruby smiled. "See! Your sister cares about you."

"Yeah," Weiss grinned. "I've always looked up to her. She defied my father and joined the military."

"Is that what you plan to do?" Ruby asked.

Weiss laughed. "No. I plan to take over the Schnee Dust Company, but I wanted to expand my knowledge and learn about the world."

"Why would your father not like that?"

Weiss smiled at Ruby. "I'm learning about the wrong part of the world."

The girls chuckled and Weiss sipped from her glass. "So why did you want to go to dinner tonight, Ruby?" Weiss questioned.

Ruby coughed into her glass as she shot her gaze at Weiss. "I… uh…"

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Jeff could feel the grip of the rusted metal rungs on his gloves. It tugged at the fabric. He pulled himself up the rungs until the ledge of the building revealed the night sky. Jeff crawled up onto the roof and unslung his rifle.

He scanned the building across from him. The restaurant looked decently absent of patrons. The window seats were all filled, but he spotted his target. An older gentleman sitting near the door.

Jeff looked around at the bystanders, checking for possible trauma. He wanted to make this kill was clean and quick, knowing it might leave some of the patrons unable to cope. He spotted several people within a few feet, but none stood out more than the couple sitting at the next table over. White hair, black hair with red tips, and color-coded dresses. He sighed at the complication. Weiss and Ruby were sitting next to his target; a man wanting to kidnap Weiss and about to be shot.

Of course, the two of them wouldn't know _what_ the man was. All they would see is an assassin put a round through the man's skull. The most probable outcome resulted in the pair chasing him down. That would mean confrontation, his death, or injuring the girls. None of those could do.

He'd have to act fast. He planned his moves, knowing that he'd have to be moving before the bullet even stopped on the floor. He searched the seating near the girls and noticed a lack of weapons. _Perfect. A greater head-start._ While they could chase him, they couldn't fight him without any weapons, meaning he could keep moving as long as he needed to.

He crept up to the edge and looked down the scope of the rifle, lining the shot up perfectly. He took a deep breath and forced it into his body. The air around him held still, and he saw the actions of the diners slow. His movements felt sluggish, but he could prepare his muscles for the next move. His finger tensed, and the bullet slid from the end of the rifle. Jeff watched it inch through the glass and connect with the man's temple. Blood slowly expanded from the impact point, growing in all directions. He released his breath, and the sound came rushing up.

He quickly spun his heel and pushed himself away from the scene, crossing his fingers. Jeff hoped he moved before either of his students noticed him on the roof.

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

"Well," Ruby continued to stammer. "I like you, Weiss." Weiss noticed the fear in Ruby's eyes as she spoke, letting the words fall from her tongue hastily, and then retreat backward.

Weiss smiled at Ruby, trying to reassure her friend that she shouldn't be afraid. "I like you too, Ruby."

Ruby looked at Weiss with shock. "You do?"

"Well yeah," Weiss started. "I've been spending all this time with you lately. I know we had a rough start, but you've really been there to help me, and I think you're amazing. You might be obnoxious, but amazing."

Ruby let her breath go and smiled, reaching out for Weiss' hand. "Oh, my God! I can't believe this. I must be dreaming. I've been thinking about this for so long. Can we cuddle? I think I'd really enjoy cuddling!"

Weiss gave Ruby a concerned glance. "I know I'm new to this, but I think cuddling is a little too intimate for friends."

Ruby looked at Weiss with what appeared to be disbelief. "Frien…"

The glass to the window shattered. Weiss turned to watch the man behind them collapse onto the floor. Splatters of blood flew everywhere, staining her white dress. Weiss shot up from her chair and looked around outside. "There!" Ruby shouted. Weiss followed Ruby's finger to a figure just leaving visibility on top of the roof.

Weiss burst out the front door and removed her scroll. "We're going after him!" she called to Ruby. Ruby shot out of the doors and ran for the wall. Weiss took her stance and shifted her body, summoning the glyphs along the wall. Ruby darted up the brick façade and out of view. Weiss punched in the code for their lockers and summoned the symbols to provide a climbing face.

Ruby was already in pursuit, the lockers landing far behind her. Weiss darted past the metal rockets and grabbed the two weapons. "Ruby! Scythe!" Ruby slowed down and let Weiss fly past her. Weiss tossed Ruby the collapsed blade and stood to face the assailant.

The man stood on the ledge of the building, facing away. "Give it up," she called. The man looked over his shoulders. "You were faster than I anticipated," he said in a deep, rough voice. "But it was a mistake to follow me."

Weiss spun the chamber on her sword. Ruby unfolded her scythe and aimed the barrel at the man. "I'll give you one chance," Ruby cried. "Tell us who you are."

"I…" the man began. "Am your father." Weiss scowled at the man. He was face to face with two Huntresses and he thought now was a good time to make jokes? The man shot forward, veering left. Weiss projected a symbol and bounded towards it, jumping into his path.

He ducked under her, shifting her weight over him as he passed by with ease. Weiss heard shots as Ruby flew towards them, catching the assassin with Crescent Rose. The assassin flipped backward, swinging on the blade. The movement threw Ruby off balance, and the pair landed with a skid. The man dropped and rolled for open space. Weiss shifted her feet and thrust her blade at the man. He drew a smaller black and caught Myrtenaster.

He twisted the blades, breaking the sword from her hands. He twisted his body, jamming his shoulder into her chest, throwing her backward. The attacker swirled her blade and thrust it into the wall as he hopped onto another rooftop. Ruby shot past Weiss.

As Ruby crossed onto the next roof, she collapsed. Lightning swirled around her in arcs of blue. Weiss jumped forward as the attack faded, grabbing Ruby, and holding her head. Weiss looked around and found a spike sticking from the ground, still emitting short bursts of electricity. Weiss grabbed to the tool and looked around. It appeared the assassin had gotten away.

She studied to the tool. She was wrong calling it a spike. It was thin like a knife, but also narrow. It curved along the edges slightly and was weighted in the hilt. She had seen a knife like this but wasn't sure where.

Ruby's eyes fluttered open and asked Weiss a question. Weiss shook her head and stared back into her eyes. "He got away."

Weiss and Ruby returned to the front of the restaurant, now swarming with police activity. The pair answered standard questions, like the attacker's gender and appearance, but Weiss realized they had no idea what the attacker looked like. He was wearing a hood and a type of scarf to cover his face. She couldn't recall any details from the fight.

Weiss considered handing over the blade but decided she might go farther with the clue than any of the preoccupied police force. She quickly tucked the knife into her purse and directed Ruby to the car. "Let's make our own getaway," Weiss grumbled as she opened her door.

Weiss leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Ruby got in and sat next to her. Weiss could feel the tension of Ruby's current sitting arrangement. "Hey, Weiss."

Weiss stopped her by putting her hand up. "I'm sorry. I let him get away. I should have kept going." Weiss chuckled. "I've seen you take worse than a little shock."

Ruby played with her hands. "No, Weiss. That's not what I want to talk about."

Weiss corrected her posture and looked at Ruby with surprise. "What's wrong?"

Ruby sighed. "It's about what you said at dinner."

"About your mom?"

"No, not that either. Weiss. I told you I like you, and you misunderstood."

Weiss took a second to consider what she was hearing. The wheels began to turn and the little things began to click. Weiss wasn't sure where this would end, but she didn't like where it was heading.

"Weiss, I don't just like you as a friend. I really like you. Like-Like. Like, romantically like."

* * *

 **AN: I'm gonna love this next chapter *Laughing manically***


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _Weiss Schnee_

The sounds of a lively city echoed in the backseat of the Luxury sedan. The mood in the sedan had shifted to beyond the verge of uncomfortable. Weiss looked at Ruby with panic as she attempted to respond. It had all fallen into place, and Weiss could see the answers to all her questions over the past couple of weeks. _How could I be so stupid?_ She asked herself. _I missed something so obvious. Of course, she loves me! She's been all over me and always making excuses to spend time with me!_

Weiss opened her mouth, but found any expression of emotion wouldn't surface. "Ruby… I…" she attempted. Weiss looked at her hands and back up at Ruby. "Ruby…" she tried again. She looked into Ruby's eyes and watched the tears swell at the base. Her silver eyes glinted with her tears.

Ruby let a single tear roll down her cheek. "Weiss, please say something." Ruby was shaking in fear, and Weiss panicked. This was her friend that she was letting fall apart. _Her best friend._ Weiss set her own hands gently on top of Ruby's pale skin. The shaking slowed, but did not stop.

Weiss sighed and looked Ruby in the eyes. "Ruby… I can't." The young girl's breath hitched and several more tears ran down her face. Weiss reached up and wiped the tears away.

Her partner began to sob, breathing sporadically. "But why?" she pleaded through the tears.

Weiss took a deep breath and looked away from Ruby. "Ruby, you mean so much to me, but I can't. School comes first, and I have to focus on grades. You are my leader and my partner. Being anything more than a friend would jeopardize both of those titles." Weiss took another breath and searched the backseat of the sedan for answers. She needed to convince Ruby that this was a bad idea. It _had_ to be a bad idea.

Weiss didn't know what to do, but she looked back at her friend anyway. "But Ruby, you're a girl."

Ruby pulled her hand out from under Weiss'. Shock washed over Ruby's face and fear rose from Weiss' stomach. Her eyes grew as Ruby went for the door handle. Weiss reached out and grabbed Ruby's wrist.

The car door flew open and Ruby slid from her seat. Weiss held tight, but Ruby broke her grip. Weiss shoved herself forward to try and catch Ruby, but before she could even make it to the other end, Ruby was flying down the sidewalk.

 _You have to go after her._

 _And risk causing her more problems? Good job, Weiss._

 _Well, you can't just let her run around the city in distress! She'll get hurt, and it will be your fault!_

 _You broke a girl's heart and you want to keep going after her? What kind of signals does_ that _send?_

 _So, what? Just let her go?_

 _Call her._

Weiss sighed as she realized the best way to handle the situation. She knew it wouldn't end well for either of them, but it was the only way to keep Ruby from getting hurt without further _hurting_ her.

Defeated and upset, Weiss removed her scroll. It clicked open and shifted to her contacts. Weiss spun the dial and hit the call button. It rang for a minute, but she finally answered.

"Yang, I need you to go get Ruby."

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

The door to Jeffery Ryker's office flew open. Boots gripped at the floor as the man stumbled into the room and grasped for the edge of the desk. Jeff grabbed the corner drawer and pulled it out, revealing a box of medical supplies. He fumbled around in it until he found the gauze and disinfectant. He tore off his shirt and ran his finger along the bloody line.

Ruby had gotten him good with the scythe. He winced as he touched the gash in his abdomen. He grabbed the bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and twisted the cap off. "Fuck me," he grunted as he prepared to pour the chemical into his wound.

The peroxide bubbled as it touched his skin. He watched the liquid begin to darken, red and pink swirling into the standing chemical residue. The burning sensation began to fade and he took a deep breath. He reached down into the drawer again to find some wipes.

He dabbed at the cut until it was dry. His eyes studied the mess. It wasn't the first scar on his chest, nor will it be the last. He could endure the pain and keep moving. What worried him about reminder was he fought his _students_. He couldn't even ask if they were okay. He'd just have to wait for someone to notify him, and if there was one thing he hated to do after a fight, it was waiting.

He wrapped the cut with gauze and replaced his shirt. The desk chair creaked as he dropped his weight onto it. It felt good to sit down. Exhaustion began to take over his body, and his breath became heavy.

He pulled the bottle of amber liquor from his desk and poured a glass. He internally lectured himself for drinking so much. It would make him soft, and that could only be bad. He considered the kind of shape he used to be in, back in the military. He might have been able to evade the girls. _What I was…_

Any consideration of giving up his drink died with the reminder of what he did with his life prior to his current position. He took a sip from the glass and leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath and let his eyes ease shut.

He saw people; Lots of people. Most of them he didn't recognize, but some of them he did. They were old friends, old enemies, acquaintances. Something was eerie about the huddle of bodies, and Jeff realized they were all people he's wronged. Those that he's killed, left behind, tortured, or even just hurt.

The figures began to notice him, and the group began to growl and mumble in his direction. He turned to run, but no matter how fast he went, he didn't move. They were gaining on him. He turned to fight them, but he got knocked down. Just as his head hit the floor, he shot up in his chair.

He looked around the office and searched for the figures. He was alone, and glad. He wiped the hair from his face and grabbed his whiskey. His hands were shaking, but he brought the cold glass to his lips and sipped.

He heard a knock at the door and jumped. He took a deep breath and set the glass on the desk. He placed the bottle back into its drawer and moved the medical supplies into the trash. "Come in," he said, looking at the clock for the hour.

He turned back to the door to find his job shuffling in. "What can I do for you Ms. Schnee?" he said. It was past midnight per his clock, which concerned him. She looked a mess; her hair was down and her dress was wrinkled and bloody. He looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

She pulled up the chair in front of his desk and sat down. "Pour me a glass," she mumbled. He gave her a quizzical stare as he studied her. She had yet to face him, and her face was filled with disdain. "Excuse me?" he questioned.

"The whiskey. I know you drink. Pour me a glass." He looked at her again. She still wasn't looking in his direction and he considered the possibilities. _This might be_ my _fault._

He sighed and reached back into his desk, removing the bottle and a second glass. "I won't do this again and I'm not doing this now," he warned as he poured the amber liquid into the cup. She took the glass and nodded. He continued to watch her as she looked at the glass. After several moments, she put it to her lips and gulped it down. Her face contorted at the strength of the alcohol. She shook her head and smacked the glass on the desk. "Again."

"No," he said as he stared her down. He watched the tears well in her eyes as she tried to speak. "Please," she mumbled. He shook his head and grabbed the bottle, topping off his own glass. "Not until you look at me."

He set the bottle between them and waited for her. Her lips moved, but no sound escaped. She finally began to tilt her head up, meeting his gaze. Her eyes were red, and the tip of her nose looked raw. Her makeup had started to run, and her bangs were a mess. "Please," she begged as she looked into his eyes.

He now understood. She had lost something. The loss was burning in her eyes, a burn that he'd witnessed time and time again. He swallowed and let out a shallow breath, realizing that it might _be_ his fault. Had he gone too hard on Ruby? Did the shock harm her enough for Weiss to be this distressed?

He topped off her glass and shifted his thoughts. He needed to believe that he had no idea what happened, so she couldn't see in his eyes that he knew. He looked at the glass and then back to her. "What happened? Did you get into a fight?"

She tipped the glass into her throat and smacked it on the desk again. "Yes, but no. A man was killed at dinner, and we chased his pursuer." She pushed the glass out towards him and pleaded, silently. He poured more whiskey into the glass and continued to play innocent. "You catch the guy?"

"No. He got away," she said as she stared at the cup in front of her.

"Did you get hurt?"

"No." She reached out for the glass, but instead set her hand on the desk. He watched her gaze penetrate the glass, as if she was looking for her answers in the drink.

"So, why are you here at twelve thirty in the morning?"

"Because no one else is here in the middle of the night." The drink must have won over because she grabbed ahold of it and began to sip it.

"I'm sure your friends could have filled my position," he rebutted. He now knew that it wasn't he that caused this problem, but something before or after he shot the White Fang member.

She gently shook her head and looked back at the cup. "I don't have any friends."

He furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head. _Wasn't she out with Ruby?_ "What about Ms. Rose? You guys were spending a lot of time together, weren't you?"

She looked up from the glass and set it down. "I ruined that." She choked on her words and a tear began to roll down her cheek. She wiped it away and took a breath. "I… We aren't friends anymore." She forced her composure to stand, trying desperately to hold back her emotions.

Jeff gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sure it can't be that bad. Ruby seems like a caring person. I'm sure it'll be okay by tomorrow…"

"Too caring." Weiss interrupted. "She loves me."

"See, it'll be fine. If she…"

"No, Ryker," she exclaimed. He voice was getting shaky, and her grip on the glass was tightening. "She _loves_ me."

"Oh," Jeff mumbled as it set in. He looked down, thinking about the situation. He looked back up at her and guessed. "And you didn't reciprocate the feeling."

"Not verbally."

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "What does that mean."

"It means that I told her no." She took another drink from her glass.

"But…?"

"But, I don't know." She finished off her drink and set it out in front of him. He nodded gently and grabbed the bottle.

"What don't you know?"

Weiss shook her head slowly and met his gaze. "Anything."

He nodded his head and let out a deep breath. "You have to work with me, Weiss. I'm a fucking soldier, not a psychic."

A groan emerged from her throat and her head fell into her hands. "I don't know. I don't know how to feel. I don't know what _that_ would feel like. I don't know what to do now. I don't know…" She peeked out of her hands, and Jeff bobbed his head to indicate that he was listening. "I don't know why I said I won't be with her."

Jeff sighed and reached across the desk, wrapping his fingers tightly around the young girl's shoulder. "It will be okay, Weiss. I promise."

She peered up at him and let her mouth creep open. She remained still for several moments before letting words fall off her tongue. "I can't have feelings for her. I shouldn't. She's girl, and that doesn't work."

He shook her shoulder a bit and leaned back. The chair creaked as he shifted his weight. "Liking girls isn't a bad thing, Weiss. It's a natural tendency of human bei…"

"No." She stopped him. " _I_ can't."

He now understood the issue. It wasn't about what happened, or even about upsetting Ruby. It was about who she _could_ be. What would she allow herself to do or become? How far could she stray from her heritage and name? "Weiss, besides just being here to talk to, I can't help you. I'm just a combat theory teacher. I won't be the one to decide who you _are._ You will."

Fear set in her eyes as he finished his statement. He knew this was going to be hard for her because it might lead her to question her life. No one knew how badly that could end more than him, but it needed to happen. "And to me, it sounds like you should be discussing this with someone else. Maybe things would be okay if you showed her… this."

Weiss took a deep breath and gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah. I guess I should try that."

He patted her on the shoulder and grinned. "Go get 'em, Schnee."

Weiss stood and thanked him, leaving the glass on the desk. She replaced the chair and straightened her hair, brushing several strands back into place. As she left the room, Jeff pushed himself back into his chair.

He thought about his job and his mission. The duty was increasing in complication as he got to know Weiss and her friends. It was mental torment to hide a part of yourself, and he had told Weiss to let it go and be honest with Ruby.

He chastised himself for being so hypocritical.

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

The cool night air felt pleasant as it moved her hair across her face. Though she had combed it with her fingers after leaving Mr. Ryker's office, she wanted to leave it down. She felt relaxed and comfortable for a moment, considering the predicament she was in.

She stepped softly and wavered in her steps. The soft glow of the lamps along the sidewalk enhanced her tipsy movements in her shadow. She supposed that she should not have had so much to drink with the teacher, but she felt okay now. Maybe it was the advice he gave her? Maybe it was the four glasses of whiskey she consumed.

 _Or was it five?_ She had lost count and just wanted the pain to numb.

The dorms were all dark as Weiss approached the lengthy building. She could barely make out the door without daylight or bedroom lamps radiating out the windows. She grabbed the door and tugged it open. With a stumble, the door flew open.

Weiss set her right hand on the wall, using it simultaneously as support and direction. She eventually found the elevator, after many missteps and collapses. The buttons glowed, and it crossed her mind to press all of them. _Now you're starting to think like Ruby._

The thought was innocent, and had no malicious intent, but it stung. She _was_ starting to think like Ruby. The cute companion was rubbing off on her, and the idea of not having her _actually stung_.

 _So why CAN'T I have Ruby?_

It was an intricate question. All the reasons she had given Ruby were true, but were they really the reasons that she wouldn't date Ruby Rose?

A light ding rang into the elevator, and the metal doors slid open. The hallway was dark, and Weiss stuck her hand out to find the wall. No sooner had she started stumbling to the room, a door at the end of the hall flew opened. Weiss looked up to find Yang glaring at her.

Weiss continued to make her way to the room, ignoring the blatant tension in the hallway. Footsteps approached Weiss, but she continued to walk as straight as she could. Quickly, another form stood above Weiss, who decided to finally acknowledge it. "And where do you think you're going?" Yang spat.

Weiss looked at the door to their room. "To sleep. It hasn't been a good day." Weiss felt her heart sink, for it had been a pretty rocky evening after the shooting.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Yang sang. Her tone and body movements were exaggerated, and Weiss assumed she was going to continue. "It wasn't a good day for you? Well, princess, my BABY SISTER just had her heart broken by some inconsiderate hussy that I NEVER APPROVED OF." Weiss watched Yang's eyes glow red.

Her expression remained bleak and uncaring. "I told you where to find her so she didn't get hurt," Weiss remarked, hoping it would at least stifle Yang's ferocity. There was no such luck. "YOU ALREADY HURT HER," Yang screamed.

Her fists were balled and she was standing on her toes, leaning over Weiss. Weiss realized the only way out of this was to fight back. She wouldn't be allowed to walk away, or go to sleep, without standing her ground. "And you think I wasn't?"

Yang took a step back, surprise crossing her face before disappearing back into the anger. "I don't care abou…"

"You think I don't care about HER?" Weiss shouted. "You think that it didn't kill me to see MY _ONLY_ FRIEND run away from me?" Weiss was beginning to breathe heavily. The rage she was feeling towards Yang was more than she could handle, but she continued anyway. "You think that watching Ruby's heart break because I had ABSOLUTELY NO idea what to do was easy for me?"

Yang stepped up and threw her fists back. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BROKE IT!" she screamed.

Weiss stood on her toes and closed her eyes. "BECAUSE I'D NEVER BE ALLOWED TO LOVE HER!"

Yang's face contorted. She sniffed the air and glared at Weiss. "Have you been drinking?" Weiss looked shocked at such an accusation, but she _had_ been. Yang's eyes squinted shut and she gave Weiss a disgusted look. "Get the fuck out of here."

Weiss was stunned. "But that's my roo…"

"Go!" Yang spat. "And don't talk to my sister again."

Weiss turned back towards the elevator, and left.

* * *

 **AN: Tough break. Thanks for reading! That's it.**

 **Kidding. Next chapter will be up next week. I can try for before Sunday or Monday, but it's Christmas, and I'd like to try my hand at something fluffier and less…**

 **Real…**

 **I do want to point one thing out, though. I'm very much aware of the community that I'm posting this too, and I want to express that while Weiss' rejection is homophobic, I have no homophobic beliefs. I merely believe that in a world so overcome by racial tension, sexual freedom wouldn't widely be regarded as** ** _normal._** **I have my reasons for this, it will be explained later, and all will make sense in time. #Triggered**

 **Chances are, I didn't need to explain myself, but you know. 2016 is the year for people to be upset at silly things. I'd just prefer nobody be upset at a plot conflict that I want to stretch the story out with. It would make all the things that happen later more pleasing!**

 **Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think (Please, I'm desperate for praise :D) and you'll hear from me later!**

 **Have a good day, night, or whatever it is, and if you're gonna do drugs, stream it for me.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Jeffery Ryker_

He heard the stomping before he heard the door. He looked up from his papers as the door swung against the wall, cracking the joints. He sighed. _As if my night wasn't long enough._ He faced the figure standing in his doorway, eyes blazing red and fists shoved down at her sides. She shoved her index finger out towards him and stormed into the room. "You!"

Jeff rolled his eyes and looked down at his work. "Me," he said unenthusiastically. Yang stomped up to the front of his desk and slammed her fist onto the wooden surface. "I know you're the one who gave Weiss the alcohol!"

Jeff looked up, feigning boredom. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Ms. Xia Long."

She picked her fist up and dropped it on the desk again. "Don't play dumb, Ryker! I know it was you. I could smell it on her breath. We all know you keep it in your desk!"

Jeff sighed and faced his accuser. "I assume you're referring to Ms. Schnee's troubles this evening?"

Yang stood up straight and spun the barrels around her wrist. "Her troubles? So, she not only came here to drink but also lie?" the blonde screamed.

Ryker set his pen down on the desk and leaned back in the chair, expressing a lack of concern to counter Yang's threats. "I'm unaware of Ms. Schnee's condition before or after she spoke with me, but she did not lie during her short time in here."

"Bullshit!" Yang shouted at him.

Jeff gave her a stern look and leaned forward in his chair. "It's clear you aren't going to be rational, so please just say what you planned to and leave my office, Ms. Xia Long."

She shoved a finger in his face. After years of being shot at, Jeff had no reaction. He didn't flinch, or change his attention. He just stared at her. She began to speak, but stuttered on the first word. He watched her search for what she _had_ come here to say.

He leaned back again. "Now, if you're finished, I'm going to make some assumptions. You can stop me when I'm wrong." He lifted his foot above his knee and crossed it over, leaning back into the chair. "You don't care that anyone gave her anything to drink, you're just looking for an excuse to yell at someone." Yang's eyes grew wide and her finger fell from its position. "Since you're looking for someone to yell at, and since you clearly have a problem with Ms. Schnee, she's not around. You've interacted with her since she left me, so you stopped her on her way to the room. You probably fought, in which you tore down what little hope that poor girl had of making sense of her situation."

Yang pulled her hand back all the way and looked at the floor. "But she…" Yang started. Jeff interrupted her and continued. "You probably yelled at her, and since she's not around for you to yell at some more, she's not in your room. That means you sent her away. She doesn't have many people she considers her friends, so you probably sent her to team Juniper."

Yang held up a finger to stop him. While still looking at the floor, she choked out her objection. "Actually, I just sent her away."

Jeff laughed and shook his head. "Let me get this straight; you sent your inebriated, confused, hurt teammate out on her own to find a place to sleep. Ignoring how bad a friend you are, what kind of teammate are you? You still have an obligation to look after her!" Yang backed away from the desk a step as his voice got louder. "Where is she now?" he asked her. She shook her head and backed up again.

He stood from his chair, shaking his head and cursing. "Since you can't be bothered to give a shit about your teammate, I'm going to go look for her." He grabbed his coat off the rack and walked to the door. "One more thing, Ms. Xia Long. Tell Ms. Rose that you just fucked up any chance they had."

* * *

 _Weiss Schnee_

The grass was damp, but not wet. At the very least, it was cozy enough to lie in. Sure, she was a tad chilly, but it was better than Yang yelling at her some more.

She rolled her head to one side, taking in the evening scenery. _Well, it's almost morning now. Based on my estimate, two AM?_

She noted the lamp posts that lined the concrete roughly ten feet away, and how the light wasn't touching her. For all intents and purposes, she was invisible. Well, besides her pasty white skin and alabaster attire.

She rolled her head in the other direction and looked out into the trees. She felt like she was at the verge of civilization. _And collapse._

Her heart twinged at the comment. Yang was right. Everything was her fault, and she didn't even deserve Ruby. The two would never work, even if her father and Winter accepted it. Weiss wasn't worth the trouble.

She rolled her head and looked at the sky. Sighing, she placed her hands on her stomach. "You dolt, couldn't you see that I was a lost cause." She dug her fists into her stomach, forcing pain somewhere else besides her chest.

Weiss closed her eyes and tried to force herself asleep. It was hopeless, and she knew it, but it was the best she could do. In the coming day, they would have class, and Weiss could go back to focusing on school. Maybe she could finish the book Mr. Ryker gave her. She could just study. Life would return to normal, and now she wouldn't have to worry about Ruby bothering her.

 _But Ruby's my partner_. Weiss groaned as she realized how much time they'd have to spend together to get good marks in classes. _And Yang will always be watching me when we're training._ Weiss knew she couldn't get out of this alive and well, and considered the alternative.

 _I could transfer schools._ Atlas would happily take another Schnee. _These problems would disappear,_ _Father would be happy, and I'd never have to see Ruby again._

Her heart twisted and she retracted her statement. _But I'd never get to see Ruby again._

Weiss screamed and slammed her fists against the grass, covering her palm in cool morning dew. "You can't have her!" Weiss shouted at the sky.

"Well aren't we a little troubled?" a voice called from the forest. Weiss sat up and turned her head. A tall lanky man slinked towards her from the tree-line. "Have a little crush, do we?"

Weiss glanced over the man, and spotted the knife in his hands. She rolled onto her side and grabbed Myrtenaster. When she spun back around, he was standing above her. The man shoved the knife at her neck and climbed on top of her.

Weiss pulled her head away from the blade, forcing her body backward and against the ground. "Now, what would people think of the heiress if they found out she was into girls?" He ran his free hand down her arm and whistled. "Daddy wouldn't be too happy, would he?"

He slid his paws down to her chest and grinned. Weiss caught the glint of sharp teeth and looked at his arms. Thick hair covered them, and his dirty paws were almost _literally_ paws. As the thought processed, Weiss' eyes grew in fear.

 _The White Fang!_

He looked into her eyes and smirked. "You know, my orders are to kill you, but no one said I couldn't enjoy you before I did. I wonder what a Schnee feels like?" Weiss tried to back away, but he grabbed a fist full of her hair. "I wonder if you're cold, or if you're really warm. I mean, some part of you has to be warm. It's not your heart, apparently." He laughed at his joke and tugged at her hair.

He pulled her head closer to meet his. "I wonder how warm your mouth is," his grin grew wider and Weiss knew she wasn't going to make it out of this easily. His grin disappeared and concern covered his face before making a _tsk-tsk_ sound. "No teeth, though, darling."

Weiss closed her eyes and grit her teeth together. She _wasn't_ letting this disgusting assassin have his way.

"Hey!" a new voice called. Suddenly, a crack filled the air and the body on top of her shook. Weiss opened her eyes to see her assailant screaming and his shoulder bloodied. His teal aura sparked and faded around the wound. _Did that bullet just push through his aura?_

"How the fuck did you just…" the assassin started.

"Magic," the man said, approaching the two. He lifted his handgun again and fired off another round, punching through the assassin's aura and through his skull. Weiss looked up in fear at the lifeless body sitting on top of her, and followed it as it slouched off her.

Free, Weiss pushed herself away. Her hands and feet shoved against the soft dirt as she scurried away from the new attacker. As the body stepped closer to the light of a lamp post, she caught a glimpse of blonde hair and a young but rough face. The man walked over to the corpse and put another round into it.

Weiss tried to push away again as the new man turned towards her. "Are you okay?" the man said softly. Weiss stopped pushing away when she recognized the voice.

"M-mm-Mr. Ryker-r?" she stuttered. He nodded and dropped his revolver into his holster. He inched towards her, now crouched. "Yeah, sweetie. It's okay."

Weiss was shaking. Ignoring the fact that her teacher ripped through a man's aura like it was paper, she had just narrowly escaped rape with sheer _luck_.

Mr. Ryker closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her. Weiss felt herself collapse into his chest and her breathing became choppy. He held her tightly, but gently, and with such a gesture of care, Weiss began to cry.

* * *

 _Jeffery Ryker_

Jeff could see the sunlight just starting to break over the horizon, yet the air surrounding the sedan was still as dark as the abyss. He stared into the shadows just beyond the reach of the headlights. Beside him, Weiss slept against the window of the car, softly breathing. _She deserves at least that_ , he thought.

She'd had one hell of a night, and he truly believed she deserved the break. After all, she hadn't asked for any of it.

The wheel of the car twisted with minimal force, and he sighed. After being kicked out of her room and forced to sleep on the grass, Jeff decided he might as well let her sleep in a bed. He parked parallel to the sidewalk of the apartment building and pulled at the door handle. A soft breeze entered the car as he stepped from the vehicle.

Much to his dismay, Weiss didn't wake up. That meant he'd have to carry her to his apartment, and that wouldn't look good. _A late-30s bachelor carrying an unconscious 17-year-old. That will go over well._

Her door opened and his knees bent, putting his torso level with her petite frame. He slipped a hand behind her back and another under the crook of her knees, before pulling her out of the sedan and lifting her up. He kicked at the door with his foot and turned towards the stairs to his apartment.

He walked past several doors that he prayed wouldn't open. His chest tightened as he held his breath, stepping lightly until he made it to his door. As he let go of his breath, he leaned Weiss' body against his shoulder. "At least help me out," he mumbled. He removed his house key and slid it into the door. "You're dead weight."

She groaned as he passed over the threshold, carrying Weiss into the pristine home. He set her down on the couch and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "You still with me, Weiss?" She nodded her head, part asleep, part drunk.

He walked into his kitchen and fetched a glass from the cabinets. After filling it to the brim with water, he returned to the couch and handed her the glass. "Drink this. You might have to pee later, but at least you won't have a hangover in the morning."

Her eyes were wider than they were before, and she took the glass from his hands. She mumbled a thank you and sipped at the clear contents. He stood there for a moment while considering what to do. Beyond bringing her to his apartment to sleep, he hadn't considered where to put her, or the possible repercussions from bringing a drunk student to his house.

He dropped down into a chair and sighed. "How do I get myself into this shit?" he asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose. As always, he acted on instinct. Normally, everything would work out well for him and he'd just go back to shooting people. But this wasn't normal. He'd accidently put himself in the middle of the teenage drama, all while secretly killing citizens of Vale for _possibly_ being terrorists.

 _I miss my time in the military._

He clapped his hands together as he verbalized his plan. "All right," he shouted, startling the girl sitting diagonally to him. "First, we're going to put you to bed. How do we do that?" She glared at the question, which he understood sounded stupid. His eye rolled and he tried again. "I mean, how should we go about getting you into bed. You can't sleep in your clothes, meaning you're going to have to change into something of mine. First, do you have the coordination to change clothes? 'Cause I don't think I can, or that I'm willing, to change you."

Weiss nodded and stood from the couch. She wobbled for a second, but held out her arms and steadied. "Got it," she said softly. He put his thumb up and stood. "Okay, we'll put you in my bed, and I'll take the couch."

She shook her head and gave a stern look. "It's your house. You take the bed."

His fingers gently tugged at her forearm and he motioned towards his room. "Trust me, kid. You'll be much happier in the bed, and the hangover will go away faster if you sleep easy." She continued to give him the look, but eventually folded and followed him back towards the room.

As they entered the bedroom, Jeff made his way to his closet to find something she could wear. He glanced back to find Weiss looking around the room. "Your room is clean."

"Thanks," he returned as he pulled a T-shirt from a hanger.

She shook her head and crossed her arms. "No, it's too clean. Do you ever sleep here?"

He pulled a pair of boxers from a drawer and turned around. "Not enough," he said as he walked over to her. He held out the clothing for her. "Here, put these on." He turned to the door and began to leave, but she stopped him. He faced her again, and she looked at the floor, her face growing more crimson by the second.

"A-are you… trying to get me naked?" she asked him. He turned back around and let out his breath slowly.

He touched her chin with his fingers and softly pulled it up to meet his gaze. "Weiss, you are my student. You are, in fact, one of my favorite students." She blushed as he complimented her. Continuing, he said, "I will never let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

She smiled at him, just a little, and dropped her gaze to the clothes. "So why do you want me to change?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Weiss, I've drunk a lot over the years, and I can tell you, with certainty, that you will wake up sore as hell in something that tight and fancy."

She laughed a bit and nodded her head. He turned and left the room, standing just outside the door until she gave him the return cue. When he came back in, Weiss stood in the center of the room, wearing a shirt that could have passed for a dress. He waved his arm at the bed and she climbed onto it. After crawling into the covers, he drew the blanket up to her shoulders and gently rubbed her arm. "Get some rest, Ms. Schnee. We'll figure out the rest in the morning."

Weiss coughed to catch his attention before he left, and he looked back at her from the doorway. "Thank you, Mr. Ryker. For everything. I don't think I'd be here now if it wasn't for you."

He laughed, attempting to lighten the mood. "Well, I'd think not. I wouldn't rent this place."

She shook her face and looked at him with a solemn expression. "No, I mean that he would have… He would have killed me after he was done."

As Jeff drew the door closed, he smiled at her. "No, Ms. Schnee. I just got there before you came up with a plan."

He flicked the light off, and closed the door.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry. I lost track of the days while I was traveling, and was working on another story, but here's the update.**

 **This is the end of the first story arch. It does a couple of things for the characters, and is a good breaking point to jump a little bit and set a new scene.**

 **Weiss and Ruby aren't working out, Weiss is kicked out of her room, the few relationships that she has are dead, and the White Fang is getting closer and closer.**

 **Jeff is finding that he just wants to be a teacher, he's caring more and more about his client, and he's put himself into two dangerous positions to help her. I'll let you think about it, but you probably won't** ** _really_** **get it right.**

 **But, I now have an issue.**

 **So, about this. At just two chapters, my second story is doing** ** _much_** **better than this one. So, I think I need to swap my focus. No, I'm not going to stop this one, because I care more about this story getting to the end than the other, but I think I should put some more work into the one that would bring more attention to me. More people reading my stuff means more people will see this.**

 **My previous deadline is being dropped, and I'm moving this one to, at max, every other week. I'm really sorry to the few of you that are following this story and care about it, but I promise I won't give up. You'll still find out what happens, even if I have to cut out a small thing or two.**

 **Have a good day, night, or whatever, and thank you for reading. Don't do tacos**

 **-Drugs**


End file.
